I'm Back
by tki143
Summary: Sara's Stalker from California has followed her to Nevada, will she survive this time?
1. Chapter 1

Ok the usual…I do not and never will own CSI or the characters (as much as I would like to I can't)

**I'm Back**

Chapter 1

Do you think she sees me? She never sees me. She didn't see me in San Francisco and she doesn't see that I followed her to Las Vegas. She thought she got rid of me when she left. She threw my flowers away. She threw away every gift I sent her like they didn't mean a thing. But I know deep down she loves me and someday I will show her just how much I love her. It will have to be something big or else she won't notice me. Maybe I will send her some flowers just to let her know I am thinking about her.

"Hey Sara, they have a delivery for you at the front desk."

"Hey Grego what kind of delivery?"

"Looks like a flower box." At the look on her face Greg got worried. "Sara, what's the matter?"

"Greg, can you ask Grissom to come to the front desk please?"

"What's up?"

"Just please do as I ask."

She slowly walked to the front desk and saw the box lying on the counter. The receptionist looked at her with a smile. "I see Greg passed the message along. Looks like someone has a secret admirer. Who is he Sara?" She finally noticed the dazed look on Sara's face and got serious. "Are you ok Honey? Sit down before you pass out. You are white as a sheet."

Unfortunately for Sara, Catherine chose that moment to come through the front door and she saw the distraught look on Sara's face. She rushed over and helped her sit down. "Marjorie, call the paramedics. Sara what's the matter?" She sat with her arm around Sara and pulled her into her arms.

"No, no medics. Don't need medics. Just need to sit down." They all looked up when Gil came running down the hallway.

"Greg said you got some flowers." Sara just pointed to the counter. "Are they from the same guy?"

"I don't know, I didn't look."

Catherine looked between the two of them. "Gil what's going on?"

Gil brought the box over to where they were all sitting and slowly removed the ribbon from the box. He opened the box and inside was a dozen of the most beautiful light pink roses they had ever seen.

"Well, if you're going to have a stalker, at least mine has good taste. Yes, they are from the same guy. At lease they are the same kind of flowers. Where's the card?" She reached in and pulled out the card. It was the same flowing script that she had come to fear in California.

I've been missing you.

Did you think you could hide from me? You can't.

I'm back.

All My Love T

"Yeah, it's the same guy." She turned to Catherine. "I had a stalker in California that was part of the reason I moved here. They never caught him. He made my life a living hell. He sent gifts to my work, I found things on my car. I would get phone calls at all hours of the day and night. I thought once I moved here that he would leave me alone. It's been a year and I thought he was gone from my life, I guess not. Throw those away!"

"Not until we process them."

"Catherine, you won't find anything on them. He's very careful."

She pulled her to her again, "Well sweetie we are going to process them anyway."

Sara didn't try to pull away from the blonde. Secretly she liked her holding her like this. If this is what it takes to get this close to Catherine then maybe it's not all bad. Since the first day I stuck my head in the lab I couldn't get her out of my mind.

"Do you want to stay at my place for awhile? Maybe he won't find you there." The invitation just popped into her head, 'I seriously need to engage my brain before I engage my mouth' thought Catherine. Hey, I know its low but if this is what it takes to get close to Sara then I will use it to my advantage. I've been trying to find reasons to spend time with her since the first day she stuck her head in asking 'Do you know where I can find Catherine Willows?' Maybe she will see me for me for a change instead of just a coworker. "You and Lindsey get along good so there wouldn't be a problem there."

"Maybe it would make sense for you to stay there until we catch this guy." Gil turned to Sara. "I think you should take her up on it."

"I will just go stay at a hotel."

"Now what good would that do? You'll be just as vulnerable there as you would be at your own home. You'll come and stay with Lindsey and I and that's it. We can run by your place after work and pick up some clothes. I'll call Lindsey and let her know. She'll be so happy."

Gil took the flowers to the lab.

"I can't put you and Lindsey at risk. I won't take that chance with people I care about" She said it with more emotion than Catherine had ever seen her use in the year they had worked together. So she cares, I wonder just how much? This could be interesting.

Sara decided it was time to put some distance between her and Catherine. "Let's go to the lab and see if we can find something to catch this bastard." Catherine stood up and hooked her arms with Sara's and they headed to the lab. What was Catherine up to? She's never once been this friendly with me. Sara knew that now she had to wait for the next "gift". That was the hardest part, the waiting. There were times when he would send 3 or 4 things on the same day and other times he went weeks between "gifts". The gifts ranged from beautiful flowers to dead flowers. Oh well, at least I have friends who will be there to help me through it this time

"So Sara, do you want to talk about this guy?" They were in the lab trying to see if they could find just the smallest thing on the flowers.

"Cat, there isn't much more than I already said. He's your typical stalker. Sending me things and calling me. Sometimes we would find things at a crime scene addressed to me."

"How did he know which one you would be at?"

"We could never figure that one out. I think he followed me there and was able to slip in and out of the crime scene without being seen.

"Maybe he's a cop or dresses like one and slips into the scene."

"Oh that makes me feel good. To think he blends in with people I trust."

"Hey babe, that's why we never enter a crime scene alone. We learned the hard way from Holly. Now we will make sure you are never alone even with a cop. I need to talk to Gil about that possibility."

"Cat? Why all of the sudden are you being so nice to me?"

That stopped Catherine in her tracks. "Can I get back to you on that?" She bolted out of the lab and headed for her office. When Catherine got to her office she shut the door and started pacing. "Shit shit shit, I almost gave myself away. I can't let her know how I feel about her because it would scare her away in a heartbeat." She walked behind her desk sat down and opened her desk drawer. After sorting through the papers she found what she was looking for. It was a picture of Sara at one of the breakfasts after shift. Catherine had brought her camera and took pictures of everyone. When she had gotten them processed and was going through them this one jumped out at her. It was Sara laughing at something one of the guys had said. It was a full blown laugh, which is something Sara doesn't do very often. The gap between her teeth in full view and it makes me love her even more than I already do.

Whoa back up and regroup, where did that come from? Do I really love her? I guess as long as I am having this conversation with myself I might as well be honest. I do love her and if anything happened to her it would leave a big hole in my life. I miss her when I go home in the morning and all I want to do is call her and just talk to her. Boy, I've got it bad. Big question now is what do I want to do about it?


	2. Chapter 2

Ok the usual…I do not and never will own CSI or the characters Jerry B. is one lucky man.

Chapter 2

Sara sat in the lab with the flowers Gil had left with her. He knew that they would find nothing but also knew Sara needed to have something to do to keep her mind occupied. But her mind was definitely not on the flowers, they were on the strawberry blond who had just left in a hurry. Why was she being so nice one minute and acting as if she couldn't get away fast enough the next? Was there more to the invitation to stay at her house or was she just being a friend? Up until today they had more or less been at each other's throats whenever they were in the same room for more than 5 minutes. Maybe she felt sorry for her, she didn't need anyone's pity and when she got the chance she would tell Catherine just that. "But it sure would be nice to spend some time with her away from work."

"Spend time with who?" Greg asked as he walked into the lab. He had a feeling who she was talking about and it hurt a little. He'd seen the way she looked at Catherine when she though no one was looking and if that was what it took for her to be happy then he would deal with it, as long as she was happy. She didn't know that Catherine was giving her the same looks.

"Nobody, did you bring me some of your special blend, because if you didn't you can turn back around and come back when you have some."

Greg slowly brought his hand from behind his back and showed her the cup of steaming hot coffee. "Of course I brought my special lady my special blend. Did you think I would dare approach you without something to bring you out of the funk I knew you would be working yourself into? So what is this about a stalker, why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I didn't tell anyone except Gil because I thought he was gone from my life. The only reason I told Gil was because I didn't want to go back to California after Holly's case and I had to tell Gil why. And the stalker was my main concern about going back. I really thought he had given up but apparently he's found me again."

Greg couldn't stand to see her so upset so he took a chance and walked up to her and took her in his arms and when she didn't pull back he held her even tighter. "Sara, you have friends here and none of us are going to let anything happen to you. If we have to sleep on your floor to ensure that you know we will." He stepped back so he could watch her face. Speaking of sleeping on floors, I heard Catherine offered to let you stay at her house, what's up with that girl? Are you two timing me with Catherine?" The blush on Sara's cheeks was all he needed to see to confirm what he already knew.

"What the hell are you talking about Sanders? You know Catherine and I do not get along, she hates me. I have no idea why she made the offer and I was just thinking about finding her and telling her I didn't need her pity."

"What if it's not pity? What if she really wants to spend time with you and get to know you better?"

"Greg that crazy, you've seen that way we are together, she's friendly with everyone except me, those are not the actions of someone who wants to get to know me better."

"What if she's just as scared as you are?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not afraid of her?"

"I didn't say anything about being afraid of her I said she was scared."

"Greg if you've got something to say quit beating around the bush and spit it out."

"Ok, you asked for it. What if she was just as scared of her feelings for you as you are about your feelings for her? What if she was just as scared of you hurting her as you are of her hurting you? She's been burned by love in the past and that is part of the reason she goes out with a different guy all the time. Can you deny you have feelings for her?"

"Wha…what are you talking about?" Sara sputtered. "The only feelings I have for her anger when we Are fighting. Other than that I try to steer clear of her."

"Sara, Sara, Sara." Greg shook his head as if her were talking to a child. "I've seen the way you look at her, you definitely feel more than anger or indifference. I would even venture to guess you may like her a lot, maybe even love her. You can tell me and I will keep your secret."

Sara let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Greg I know how you feel about me and I don't want to hurt you by talking about this with you. Sorry"

"Ah ha, so there is more to it then isn't there? You're right I do like you a lot but if Catherine is my competition I know when to throw in the towel and cut my losses and run." He turned around and pulled up a stool so he was sitting right in front of Sara. "So come on girl spill it. I can tell you are dying to talk about it."

"Are you sure?" At his nod and genuine smile she took a deep breath. "Have you ever noticed how sexy she is when she is yelling?" He smiled like a little boy and nodded vigorously. "All that pent up energy directed at you. I've never met anyone like her before. I mean she's sexy all the time but when she's angry her eyes go a shade darker and she huffs and puffs like she been…well you know what I mean right?" She stopped when she realized she was going to say she looked as if she had just had some hot and heavy sex. She blushed when she dared look up at Greg.

"Oh boy do I, I used to make her mad just to watch her. She is sexy as hell and let me tell you she has been the object of many of my fantasies since I first started here. I would go so far as to say that she is every man's fantasy girl." At Sara's indignant look he rushed to redeem himself. "But since you came along I have dreamt of no one but you." When he noticed that angered her even more he tried again. "Not that I would try anything but you have to admit she could fuel a man's fantasies for ages and some women too. Tell me you haven't thought about her." At her blush he continued. "See I told you. How can you get mad when you've done the same thing?"

"I wasn't mad at you for thinking it. Although she's almost old enough to be your mother. I was mad because you would have a better chance getting her to go out with her than I would. As you said she goes out with guys and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a guy. So I think it would be safe to say she wouldn't go out with me, even if I got up the courage to ask her out."

"Did you not hear what I was saying earlier about her getting scared? I've seen her watching you."

"Yeah she's watching me so she could find something to yell at me about."

"Have you ever thought that maybe she fights with you for the same reason you like to fight with her?"

"You can't honestly think she thinks I'm sexy when I am angry."

"Oh Sara, have you looked in a mirror lately? You are one hot mama and any man, boy or woman would be crazy not to see that. You really don't know what you can do to a person just by walking in a room do you?" At her blank stare he continued on. "Ok let me point out a few things to you. You have legs that go on for days and make a man want to have them wrapped…" He didn't get a chance to go on before she slapped him. "Ok but take it from me, I am not the only one that has had a few fantasies about you and those legs." He laughed when she turned a dark shade of red. "And those eyes, I could drown in those eyes and when they are directed at you, you know you are important. And that gap in your tooth is so adorable, it makes your smile so unique."

"Oh is unique the new word for ugly?"

"No he was right when he said adorable."

Ok I got a couple of reviews on my first chapter and they encouraged me to write more. Now click on the nice button to the right and I may come up with more sooner rather than later. Thank you to those who did review Chapter 1.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok the usual…I do not and never will own CSI or the characters

Thank you for the many great reviews. I'm paying everyone back for all the cliff hangers that I have read. As you have asked here is Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sara and Greg both turned quickly at hearing Catherine's voice, unfortunately they were sitting so close together and they crashed into each other causing both of them to fall off their stools. Sara fell with an unladylike thump and quickly stood up rubbing her butt. She swatted at Greg and yelled at him. "Ouch that hurt, watch what you're doing."

"Me? You turned into me. I'm hurt here too ya know."

"Children play nice." They both turned to see Catherine smiling at them. "Don't make me have to separate you, better yet Greg don't you have some DNA to test or something?"

Sara turned her back to Catherine and with her eyes she was imploring Greg to not leave her alone with Catherine. He looked over her shoulder to make eye contact with Catherine and he turned back to Sara. "I'm not strong enough to take on both of you. I can survive you but there is no way I could survive that." He pointed over Sara's shoulder to Catherine. "And she knows far too many ways to dispose of a body and leave no trace. See ya." He smiled at Sara and started towards the only way out of the room and that was through the door where Catherine now stood. He could tell from her stance that she was not going to make it easy on him.

She left barely enough room for him to squeeze past her. She whispered as he squeezed by. "Good choice Greggo. You'd never survive me." Her voice was low and sexy and Greg swallowed hard as he headed to the lab.

"Oh man Sara is so not going to like me after Catherine gets done with her." Then he thought back to their earlier conversation. "But then again she may thank me." He smiled and started whistling as he sauntered down the hallway back to his lab.

Sara still hadn't turned around to face Catherine so Catherine slowly walked around her so that she was face to face with Sara. Well not exactly face to face, it's hard to do that when someone is paying more attention to their shoes than they are to you as Sara was at the moment. "Do you see something interesting down there or are you trying to avoid looking at me?"

Sara spoke without looking up her hair covering most of her face. "I'd rather not look up if it's ok with you."

"What if it's not ok with me?"

'Well I'm not sure I can face you right now?"

Catherine gently reached out and with just one finger under Sara's chin she slowly lifted her head until she could look into Sara's eyes. With a frustrated sigh Catherine spoke. "Sara open your eyes and look at me."

Sara slowly opened her eyes and looked into Catherine's eyes. 'Oh shit I'm lost' the thoughts came unbidden to her mind. 'I have to get out of here before I push her up against the wall and take her right here.' "So Catherine how long were you standing there?" She was proud of the fact that her voice sounded almost natural.

"Long enough for Greg to say you had an adorable smile and to hear you put yourself down like you always do when someone compliments you. Why do you do that? I really do agree with Greg, you have an adorable smile. So what else were you two talking about so close together on your stools?"

Sara was quick to respond, maybe too quick. "Nothing, why do you ask?"

"Just curious. When I saw the two of you through the window you looked like Lindsey and her friends when they get together for a sleep over and are talking about something they don't want me to hear." She watched Sara's face closely and was surprised when she blushed and even deeper shade of red. "So were you two gossiping on work time?" She tried to keep her tone light but apparently not light enough for Sara,

Sara switched from shy and blushing to angry in a split second. "You know what Catherine, not everything in this office revolves around you. Greg and I were just having a light hearted talk and he was trying to cheer me up after hearing about the stalker. Unlike you he doesn't run when things get personal." With that she turned around and walked out of the room leaving a very confused Catherine to wonder where she went wrong.

Meanwhile Sara couldn't get to the locker room fast enough. "Greg Sanders you are toast. I am going to kill you when I get my hands on you." She landed a punch on the nearest locker.

"Whoa sunshine what did that locker ever do to you?" She turned to see Warrick coming around the end of the lockers. "What did Greg do now?"

"He left me alone with Catherine after she saw us talking in the lab. She accused us of gossiping on work time."

"So who do you want me to take out first Catherine or Greg?" This brought a smile to her face. "So are you sure that's what happened or is that what you thought you heard?"

"Maybe she didn't say that exactly but it was close."

"What did she say exactly?

"Well that was exactly what she said but she may not have meant it."

"What makes you think she didn't mean it?"

"She was smiling when she said it but like I usually do I jumped on her a yelled and then left the room. Then I came in here to figure out what I was going to do about it."

"Well girl, the way I see it, the only thing you can do is go back and make it right."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Might as well go face the music." She left to see if she could find Catherine. She first went to her office and when she found it empty she started looking in all of the labs. When she still couldn't find her she went to see if Greg might know where she was. She enter Greg's lab and removed his headphones. "Greg have you seen Catherine?"

"Oh man, what did you do wrong? She came in here and said she was heading out to a crime scene and said she would leave any evidence in lockup for me to start first thing tomorrow. She looked like someone had just kicked both her and her puppy. What did you do?"

"I think I may have screwed things up royally. I didn't think we had any cases tonight, Grissom said for me to work on the flowers and everyone except Nick was on paperwork. I wonder if something came up and Grissom sent her out. I think I'll go talk to Grissom." At the door she turned back around to face Greg. "Don't think I have forgotten what you did, I will get you when you least expect it. Be prepared my friend, be very prepared." Greg didn't see the sly grin on Sara's face as she headed down the hallway.

Ok they put that little button there for a reason, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm having so much fun writing this so I thought I would share the next chapter. Have fun

I'm Back

Chapter 4

"Hey Gris, is Catherine out in the field?"

He removed his glasses and placed them on top of the stack of papers he had been working on. "Yeah she came in begging for a case so I sent her out on a suspicious circs out near Henderson."

"You sent her all the way out there on her own?" Sara almost shrieked at him.

"It was called in and verified and there will be a cop on the scene so she should be ok. She'll be back long before end of shift so if you need her you can wait until she gets back. Now I do believe you have some paperwork to take care of unless you are still working on the flowers."

"You know as well as I do that I'm not going to find anything on those flowers. I guess I'll get to work on the paperwork. See ya later." She walked down the hallway to the lab she used to complete her paperwork but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had. She wondered if the feeling was because of her stalker or Catherine. "Maybe I should explore these feelings I have for her and see how deep they are. Oh great, I'm talking to myself again." She plopped down on the stool and picked up the paper on top of the stack and started to work. It didn't take long before she was staring off into space thinking about Catherine again. "Ok this has got to stop, I have too much work to do to be acting like a lovesick teenager." She once again started on the paperwork. She'd made a good dent in the stack when she looked up at the clock and was surprised to see that there was only a half hour before end of shift. She decided to go look for Catherine.

She had looked in every lab, in Catherine's office and in the break room she started to get worried. She entered Grissom's office and sat down in the chair to wait for him to finish his phone call. He looked up after he hung up the phone. "Sara what can I do for you?"

"Have you seen or heard from Catherine? I can't find her anywhere. I've had a bad feeling all shift and I don't know if it's this stalker thing or Catherine."

Gil looked up at the clock and was surprised to see that shift was already over. "You've looked everywhere for her? Is her car in the parking lot? Have you tried calling her?"

"Yes Grissom I've done all of those things, I'm not a rookie, I know how to look for someone." Just then her phone rang and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the caller ID. "This is Catherine, I'm going to take it out in the hallway, see ya later." As soon as she was out of Grissom's office she answered her phone. "Sidle." She froze when she heard a man's voice on the end of the line.

"Sara you should have known you couldn't hide from me. We're soul mates, we are meant to be together."

She tried to control her breathing and knew she couldn't piss this guy off or he might hurt Catherine. "Where's Catherine? Is she ok?"

"Catherine must be this beautiful red head I have here in my arms. Catherine be a good girl and tell Sara how you are."

"Sara stay away don't…" The sentence was cut off by the sound of a slap and Catherine's muffled scream.

"Sara, she's not being a very good girl and I may have to teach her a lesson. But we can avoid all of this if you would just join us here. I will let Catherine go and you and I can be together."

"Sara don't do it." She heard the slap again and Catherine went silent.

"Ok don't hurt her anymore, where do you want me to meet you? Just give me the damn address and leave her alone." She went to her lab and wrote the information down and rushed out to her vehicle. She looked over at Catherine's car and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily and took a deep breath. "I have to be strong and I will not let this creep control me." She drove to the address and saw Catherine's Denali parked in front of the house. She pulled her gun out of the holster and approached the door slowly.

"You can drop the gun or this will be over with very fast. You drop the gun or Catherine dies." She looked at the doorway and saw a man with his arm around Catherine's throat and a gun against Catherine's temple.

"Sara do not give up your weapon." Sara winced as she watched a small trickle of blood on Catherine's throat from where he had pushed the tip of a knife in very slowly and held it there. She hadn't seen the knife because she was paying too much attention to the gun and the fear in Catherine's eyes.

"Do you really want to watch me kill your friend here? Now drop the gun."

"You said she would be released if I showed up. Let her go."

"You get rid of the gun and I will let her go. Do we have a deal or do I kill her right here and now?"

"We have a deal." She threw the gun to her right and then turned back towards the door. "Now let her go."

"Come up here and I will let her go."

"Sara please don't do this. Get out of here while you still can." The blood trickled a little faster and she gasped and stopped talking.

"Catherine you've got to think about Lindsey, she needs her mother to be there for her. I guess you could call me expendable. No ties, no family nothing to leave behind." Both women were crying at this point and Sara was slowly approaching the stairs. She walked up the stairs keeping eye contact with Catherine. "Just go Catherine, don't piss him off."

"Listen to Sara, we don't want to leave Lindsey and orphan now do we?" He hissed in Catherine's ear. "Come on Sara a few more steps and we'll be fine. I want you to walk past me and once you are past me I will release Catherine."

Sara reached them and grabbed and squeezed Catherine's hand. "When he releases you, run and do not look back. Take your truck and leave. Promise me you'll run."

"I don't want to leave you here with him."

"You have to for Lindsey."

Ok I will, but only because of Lindsey."

Sara let go of her hand and walked past them into the house but before she could turn around she felt a blinding pain behind her ear before the world went dark.

Your reviews are encouraging me to write faster, so the more reviews the more chapters. Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm Back

Chapter 5

"Now my dear Catherine you are going to take this tape and bind her hands and ankles as tight as you can. Don't skimp on the tape I will check to make sure it is tight. I don't want her getting away.

Catherine knelt down with tears streaming down her cheeks and gently brushed the hair off of Sara's face. She checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when it was strong and steady. She wrapped Sara's legs first and then proceeded to wrap her hands behind her back. Catherine finished and was preparing to stand up when she felt the butt of the gun make contact with her right temple and like Sara she fell to the floor unconscious.

"Now ladies, we are going to take a little trip into the desert and I have place prepared for us. Catherine you will just be an added bonus, more fun for me." He bound Catherine with the tape and then he carried Sara out to the Denali that she had driven out there and placed her in the front seat. He then went back and picked up Catherine and placed her in the back seat. "Buckle up ladies, we don't want to get hurt when we start hitting the bumps." He spoke as he buckled their seat belts and walked around to get in the driver's seat. He drove for about an hour and pulled up to an old rusted out mobile home. "Home sweet home ladies let's go make ourselves comfortable." He carried Catherine in and spent time securing her with more duct tape to the bed. "Hope you're comfortable Catherine, we are going to be here for awhile." He went out to the Denali to get Sara and was surprised to find the front seat empty. He looked around to see if he could see her. "She couldn't have gotten far it's nothing but desert. I'll go in and wait for her, she won't leave without Catherine, not need to worry, she can't go anywhere." He tossed the keys in the air and caught them in his hand as he headed back into the house. He failed to see Sara under the Denali.

Sara quietly slid out from under the Denali on the driver's side, opened the door and reached under the front seat and pulled out the spare set of keys she always stashed there. She put the keys in the ignition and stood up to head towards the mobile home. She was still a little dizzy but she thought she had enough strength to do what she knew she had to do. She had seen some rocks near the front door so just before she entered the mobile home she picked up the biggest one she could find, she hefted it to test its weight and knew it was going to have to suffice. She carefully entered the mobile home and listened she heard voice coming from the right so she headed in that direction.

"I guess we will just wait here for Sara because we both know she won't leave here without you."

"You don't know Sara, she will head out of here and save herself and send help after she's safely away from here. It's what we are told to do. Besides she hates me so this is her chance to get rid of me."

Sara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Catherine really believe she hates her so much she would leave her here to fend for herself? Well I'm am just going to have to show her how wrong she is. Sara took a peek around the corner and saw that the man had his back to her so she made her move. She rushed into the room and brought her hand down hard on the side of his head. He swung around and she was able to hit him again and he fell to the floor unconscious. She grabbed his knife and cut the duct tape from Catherine's ankles and hands and grabbed her hand. "Let's get the hell out of here before he wakes up."

"Sara stop. Let's duct tape him and send someone back to get him after we get out of here." After they taped him up they headed out to the Denali. Sara jumped into the driver's seat and started the truck and started driving. "Sara, how did you get away and do you have any idea where we are?"

"I always carry a knife in my back pocket. He never checked, I came to about 20 minutes ago and he wasn't paying any attention so I was able to work it out of my pocket. As soon as he carried you in I cut the tape. Did you really think I would leave you there? How can you think that? Besides I don't hate you, I like you, and I admire you."

"That hit on your head must have affected your memory."

Sara turned to Catherine with a strange look on her face and when she spoke her voice was lower than normal. "No Catherine my memory is perfectly fine." She turned the car around and headed in the direction she thought they had come from. Not that it mattered because here in the middle of the desert, at least in this part there wasn't even a road. All of the sudden Sara stopped the vehicle and she leaned back against the headrest. She slowly turned her head towards Catherine. "I guess we should try to figure out where we are, and I think we need to do it pretty fast."

"Are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me?"

Sara brought her left hand up from where she had been holding it against her side and Catherine gasped when she saw the amount of blood on her hand. "Sara why didn't you say something?" Catherine jumped out of the truck, stopped at the back and grabbed the first aid kit she knew Sara always carried. She ran around to the driver's side and opened the door and had to drop the kit to catch Sara as she fell out the door. For the second time that day Catherine checked for a pulse and found one. It wasn't as strong as earlier but it was still there. She gently pushed Sara back into the truck and turned her so that she could lay her down with her head facing the driver's door. She then bent down and picked up the first aid kit and ran back around to the passenger side and crawled onto the floor and knelt down by Sara's side. She worried when she saw the amount of blood on Sara's shirt and the worry turned to fear when she opened Sara's shirt and saw how fast the blood was flowing from a nasty gash in Sara's side. "Damn it Sara why do you always have to be so stubborn?"

"Because you wouldn't have me any other way." Came a weak reply from the woman lying on the seat. She tried to sit up and Catherine gently pushed her back onto the seat. "Come on it's just a scratch we have to get out of here."

"Sara lay down, this is much worse than a scratch and if you would just be still I will see if we can stop the bleeding." Catherine emptied out the contents of the first aid kit and frowned when she didn't see anything more than some thin gauze pads and knew they wouldn't do any good to stop the bleeding. She opened the glove compartment and almost laughed when she saw a couple of sanitary pads. "You must be the most prepared woman I have ever seen in my life but for once I love you for it." She took the pads and gently placed them over the gash on Sara's side and took one of the ace bandages and wrapped it around Sara's waist as many times as she could and then wrapped the second ace bandage over that one. "Well that's going to have to do for now." She looked up at Sara and saw that she was ghostly pale and knew she had to keep her awake. "Stay with me Sara, come on baby, fight for me ok? Can you do that honey? Can you fight?"

"I'll try, but only because you asked so sweetly." She tried to laugh but it fell short.

"Thank you." She made eye contact with Sara and made sure she had her attention. "By the way, you are not expendable. I would be lost without you, I mean the team would be lost without you."

"I liked it better the way you said it the first time. Would you miss me Cat? I would miss you."

"Well nothing is going to happen so we don't have to wonder now do we?"

"Are you avoiding the question? Because I would really like to know the answer."

"Let's figure out where we are and get the hell out of here and we can discuss this later."

"Ok, I will let you get away with it this time but you can't avoid it forever."

"Can you move? I'd like to get you to the back seat so you can stretch out and be somewhat comfortable and then we can get out of here."

"I usually prefer to get to know a girl a little better before I let her get me into the back seat but if you insist."

"You wish Sidel." Catherine laughed and decided two could play at this game. Sara tried to sit up and hissed as the pain shot up her side. She almost fell back but Catherine grabbed her hand and helped her out and into the back seat. "You know it wouldn't kill you to wait for help you know."

"But if I asked for help then you'd go all mother on me and want to take care of me."

Catherine deliberately dropped her voice an octave and looked Sara directly in the eyes. "Mothering you is the last thing I want to do and I'm sure I could take care of whatever needs you may have." She left Sara with her mouth hanging open as she shut the back door and got back in the driver's seat.

"Catherine I have some bottles of water in the back can you get me one before we take off?"

When Catherine opened the back she saw a medium sized cooler and was surprised when she opened it to see not only water bun granola bars too. "Can you eat anything, maybe you should try to eat one of these bars?"

"I'll try one. Thanks. I guess having some taking care of you isn't so bad. I could get used to this."

"Don't even go there Sidle. If you weren't bleeding you'd be driving. How's your head by the way?"

"It hurts a little bit but not as bad as my side. How about you, you got hit too, how is your head?

"I have a splitting headache but I took some of the aspirin you had in the first aid kit and I'm waiting for them to kick in. Do you want an aspirin?"

"Sure then why don't we wait for them to kick in?

"Because we have to get you some help, if we don't you might bleed to death."

"Catherine stop driving for a minute ok. We have no idea where we are, I think we came from this direction but if we go in the wrong direction it could do more harm than good. Let's talk about our options ok?"

"Sara if we don't find a way out of here you are going to die. I can't let that happen."

"Cat, will you come back here and sit with me please? I want you back here. There's room on the seat."

"Not with those long legs of yours." Catherine said as she opened the back door. She gently lifted Sara's shoulders and sat on the seat and placed Sara's head in her lap. She didn't see the satisfied smile on Sara's face but Sara also wasn't able to see the smile that was on Catherine's face either.

"Have you been checking out my legs Catherine?"

"That and a few other things Sara." Catherine said without thinking. Without even realizing it Catherine started to comb her fingers through Sara's hair.

"What other things?" Sara asked as she fought to suppress the moan at what Catherine's ministrations were doing to her.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm Back

Chapter 6

Sara I can't just sit here and wait for you to die, I want to take a chance and start driving ok? She must have driven about an hour when she stopped the truck. "I guess the GPS is worthless if there are no roads for it to direct us to."

"Sure it will Cat. Turn left at next sand dune then right after the 3rd cactus. Works for me all the time."

"Ha ha funny one Sidle. Do you have any suggestions? Concrete suggestions that may get us out of here."

"Have you checked phone reception? My phone is in my bag under the seat."

Catherine felt under the seat until she found Sara's purse. She pulled the phone out and was not surprised when it said there was no service. "No service. Maybe we should tell Ma Bell that they need to erect some towers out here in the middle of nowhere so we can get service out here. I'm sure if we told them of our plight when we get back they'll listen to us."

"Cat, sarcasm does not become you. What time is it?"

"It's about 6:00 p.m. why?"

"Well I usually go into work at about this time and Greg will show up in about an hour so maybe he'll get worried and try to find us. He'll see your car in the parking lot and know something is wrong because you never come into work early." Her voice was fading by the time she finished talking and she was getting tired.

"Sara, hey, wake up, come on sweetie wake up for me. Come on baby open those beautiful brown eyes for me. Come on Sara get mad and fight for your damn life."

Sara just barely opened her eyes. "So you think I have beautiful eyes huh?"

"Yes Sara you have beautiful eyes and I want you to keep them open."

"What do I get if I do? Can I have a kiss?" Catherine watched as Sara passed out. All she could do is watch as the woman she loved lay there.

"Alright Sara, I guess you are going to be useless in helping me get us out of here. Adorable but useless so what are we going to do about it?" She thought she heard something in the distance so she gently moved Sara's head from her lap and got out of the truck. She shaded her eyes so she could look in the direction the sound was coming from and almost started crying when she saw a helicopter heading in their direction. When she saw it land about 50 yards away she did start crying. She knelt down at the back door of the Denali. "Sara come on baby, help is here. Sweetie wake up." She checked the bandage and was surprised to see blood seeping through the bandage. "Damn Sara come on wake up. Don't you dare die on me. I don't want to live without you." Tears were streaming down her face when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Gil standing there with a confused look on his face. Catherine realized from his look that he must have heard what she had just said and was trying to figure out what she meant by it.

Grissom looked over Catherine's shoulder and saw Sara unconscious on the back seat and almost pushed Catherine out of the way to get to here. "Sara honey are you ok?"

Catherine pushed her anger aside so she could do what was best for Sara. "Gil we need to get her to the helicopter and get her to the hospital. She's been cut pretty bad."

"Sara, wake up." By that time Jim Brass and the helicopter pilot were at the car and Brass gently moved the hair away from Catherine's face and took a look at the cut on her forehead.

"Catherine that looks pretty nasty, are you ok?"

"I probably have a concussion but I'm more worried about Sara, she's got a deep gash in her side and she's bleeding pretty badly, we have to get her out of here." She went around to the other back door and opened it so she could be close to Sara.

Brass watched Catherine closely and was kind of surprised by her reaction, then he smiled and sly smile. So that's the way the wind blows huh, he thought she would definitely give Grissom a run for his money but my money is on Catherine. He turned to the pilot. "We need the basket and some blankets and we need them now. When we get in the air we will alert Desert Palm we are on the way."

"Sara sweetie wake up." Grissom started to shake Sara.

"Gil what the hell are you doing? She's injured, she's doesn't need you shaking her. Let her rest."

"She wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for you. She went looking for you. Why she would do that I have no idea."

Catherine felt she had been slapped in the face and by her best friend no less. She knew he was hurting but that was uncalled for. "Unlike you Grissom, she feels for her coworkers and she was worried, and it turns out she was right. Her stalker is the one who did this."

She was getting ready to stand up and leave when Sara spoke. "Cat don't leave me. Please stay with me."

"Baby, I'll be right back, I need to tell Brass about the mobile home so he can get someone out there right away. I'll be right back."

"Promise?" Sara looked scared.

"With all my heart." Sara smiled and relaxed.

As soon as Catherine stood up Sara turned to Grissom. "Grissom, I'm sorry, but it's Catherine that I want beside me right now. Be nice, she's hurting right now too."

"But Sara I always thought there was something there." He almost pleaded with her.

"At one time there may have been but not anymore."

"What's changed?"

"I'm too tired and sore to talk about it. Just believe that it never would have worked."

"But Sara…"

"Gil will you give her a break, can't you see she's close to passing out again?" Catherine said from behind Grissom. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.`

"You can't have her Catherine." He was almost in her face as he said this. Catherine could never remember him speaking to her with such malice in his voice.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about Gil but I think you should step back. I realize you are emotional right now, so just step away before you say something you may regret later. Sara is the issue right now, we need to get her some medical attention and we need to do it fast. Stop being selfish and think about what is best for Sara right now."

"I'm what's best for her not you. You just love 'em and leave 'em. Sara needs stability."

"I can't believe you are going on about this while Sara is fighting for her life. Let it go for now Gil." Catherine turned away from him and headed to the helicopter where they were loading Sara. She climbed in and took hold of Sara's hand and sat down and strapped herself in.

Sara weakly turned her head towards Catherine. "Took you long enough. Don't leave me again ok?"

Catherine turned and saw the pained expression on Grissom's face but knew she couldn't worry about him right now. She turned back to Sara and gave her hand and squeeze. "You think a little thing like getting kidnapped and knocked out is going to keep me away. No way, I'm in this for the long haul after all of this. Just rest ok sweetie?" Catherine smiled at Sara and Sara smiled one of her rare full blown gapped toothed smile and passed out.

They landed at the hospital and were greeted by the hospital staff. Catherine still had a hold of Sara's hand as they transferred her to a gurney to be wheeled into the hospital. They tried to stop her from following into the emergency area until Brass told them she had been injured too and needed attention. Grissom was livid but there was nothing he could do but find a chair to sit down.

Shortly after he sat down the rest of the team came running down the hallway. They stopped when they got to Brass and Grissom. "How are they doing? Have you heard anything?

Brass stood up. "Hold on guys, slow down. Why don't you grab a seat so I can let you know what's going on. Why don't we wait for Catherine's sister so I only have to go over it once. Ah there she is now."

"Captain Brass, thank you for calling me, have you heard anything?"

"Just that Sara is in surgery to repair a nasty cut in her side. They were worried about whether there may have been some internal damage or not so we have to wait and see about that. Catherine has a bad cut on her forehead but we haven't heard anything about her. We are just in the hurry up and wait stage." As he finished speaking he phone rang he looked at the caller ID and motioned to Nancy. "I'm sorry but I have to take this call. I'll be back soon." He answered the phone as he was walking down the hall.

"Hey guys I'm glad you're all here. Cath and Sara will be glad to know you're here."

Warrick stood up and embraced Nancy. "Nancy we all love Cath and Sara and we're here for you too. Does Lindsey know what happened?"

"She know Cath's been hurt and I promised I would call as soon as I knew something. I dropped her off at our Mom's house. What the hell happened?"

"She was careless and didn't follow protocol and got Sra hurt." Grissom almost spit it out.

The whole team and Nancy turned to him with confused looks on their faces. "Gris, don't go down that road." Warrick turned on him. "Sara was worried about her because they had had a fight before Catherine left for her crime scene. When Catherine hadn't called or returned before end of shift you, as her supervisor, should have checked on her but you were so engrossed in your bugs you couldn't take the time. You know it's not like Catherine to not check in, Sara also knows this so she went to check on her."

"Sara came into my office asking me about Catherine and while we were talking her phone rang and she said it was Catherine and she left to take the call. I just assumed when Sara didn't return that the call went satisfactorily and Catherine was ok."

"But you didn't check did you? You didn't follow up to make sure she was ok?" Nick finally spoke up.

"Are you saying this is my fault?" He almost yelled. "If it's anyone's fault it's Catherine's for not calling in."

"Gris has it occurred to you that she may have been forced to make the call to lure Sara out to the site so her stalker could take her?" Greg asked none too gently. He couldn't believe that Grissom was blaming Catherine for this. Even while she was behind the emergency room doors herself and no one knew how she was.

They all looked up when Brass walked back into the room and they noticed the worried look on his face. "The guys found the mobile home just where we saw it when we flew over it. The inside was just as Catherine had described it. The only problem is that when the guys got there the place was empty."

Warrick voiced what they all were wondering. "Are you saying Sara's stalker got away?"


	7. Chapter 7

I'm Back

Chapter 7

"I guess that would sum it up. The guys said everything was as Catherine described it in the helicopter and there was duct tape all over the place. You could see where Catherine had been taped to the bed and there were pieces of the tape on the floor where the girls taped him and left him. They didn't skimp on the tape so he should not have been able to get away. It could be that he had another knife in his pocket just like Sara did. I've set it up that there will be a cop on both girls rooms here at the hospital and from here on out. What happened to no one going to a crime scene by themselves?" He looked at Gil when he asked the question. Everyone else turned to him and waited for his answer.

"Don't look at me like that. She begged for a case and this one appeared to be cut and dried. There was a cop on the scene and cleared the house. How was I supposed to know?"

"Well it turned out that it was all a setup. The cop was Sara's stalker and if Catherine had had backup this would not have happened. Did you forget about Holly already?" It was rare to see this amount of anger coming from Nick but he held nothing back. "It was a slow night, Warrick could have gone with her, then she would be home with her daughter right now and Sara wouldn't be fighting for her life. I gotta get out of here." He gave Grissom one last look and left the waiting room.

The rest of the team just sat there not knowing what to say. Brass turned to Nancy. "Have you heard anything about Catherine?"

"I spoke to the nurse while you were gone and she said that Catherine passed out once they got here back into the emergency room. They said it wasn't unusual in someone who had been hit on the head, the adrenalin kicked in when she had to help Sara and her body just gave out after she was taken into the emergency room. They were going to wait until she regains consciousness to evaluate her."

"Well that's good right?"

"It kind of helps when you work at the same hospital and you know most of the staff personally they tell you things that they don't tell most families. They also told me that Sara's injuries are not critical but it wasn't just a cut it was a stab wound and went much deeper than it appeared. Catherine saved her life with the bandage she put on it." She gave a little laugh when she remembered what the nurse had told her Catherine used to make the bandage.

"What's that smile for?" Greg had turned from Grissom when Brass and Nancy had started talking.

"She used sanitary pads to stop the bleeding and they did just what they are designed to do. They absorbed the bleeding but were not able to stop it." She looked around and like all guys when it came to talking about certain things they were all blushing. "If you guys had been a half hour later she may not have made it. The pads kept her going as long as she did but the blood was seeping through by the time you guys found them."

Just as she finished talking a nurse walked in the room. The look on her face did not bode well. She walked up to Nancy and gave her a hug. "Nancy it's not good. Catherine has a subdural hematoma and she hasn't regained consciousness yet. They took her into surgery and are going to try to drain some of the blood from the brain cavity and hopefully that will bring her back around. You know the dangers of this kind of surgery so we are just going to have to wait and see."

"But the guys here said it was just a bump on the head. She was fine in the helicopter how could she not be ok?" Brass had his arm around her shoulders and led her over to the chairs. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Nance you know the dangers and you know the good side. We'll just have to wait and see how she responds to the surgery. She will probably be asking about Lindsey as soon as she comes out of surgery."

"Damn what am I going to tell Lindsey and Mom?"

"Why not wait and see how she responds first?" Warrick sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "It could be there will be nothing to say except that she's fine. She's a fighter so she may be just fine. We'll put both Sara and Catherine in the same room and they can gossip as they recover." This brought a small smile to Nancy's face. Warrick turned to Grissom daring him to say anything. "They're both going to be fine. Both of them are too damn stubborn to let this get them down."

"I've only met Sara a couple of times but if she is a stubborn as Catherine then you may be right about that. I guess all we can do right now is wait. I never realized how hard this is on the families, I think in that in the future my dealings with family members is going to change. This waiting can kill you. I can't just sit here, I have to walk around." She got up and walked out into the hallway and the guys could see her pacing back and forth.

"So how are we going to catch this guy?" Brass asked no one in particular. "The guys said that there were tire tracks leading away from the mobile home that looked like they belong to a motorcycle. That means he had to have planned this all out. Maybe he was thinking Sara would take the call and he wouldn't have to involve anyone else. When Catherine showed up he improvised and used her to get Sara out to the sight. Anyone want to go to the mobile home and process it?" He looked around and when no one volunteered he continued. "That's what I thought so I talked to Ecklie and he sent a team out there and will let us know what they find. Maybe this guy is in the database and we can get a handle on him. At least get a picture that we can distribute and start looking for him."

"What can we do in the meantime? Just sit here? I'm with Nancy, this sitting here is brutal." Greg got up and joined Nancy in the hallway. "How are you doing Nancy?"

"Catherine was always the strong one. She may like to dress up and look nice but she also loves to throw on a pair of jeans and take Lindsey to the park and wrestle in the grass. What am I going to tell Lindsey? Eddie is just an asshole and he will never be able to take care of Lindsey on his own and whatever bimbo he's sleeping with today won't be there tomorrow so there will be no stability for her. I'm Lindsey's Godmother and I guess I could fight Eddie to be able to take care of her. Listen to me, I'm talking as if Catherine is going to die to or something."

"I guess being a nurse you see this all the time huh?" Greg asked in a small voice. "Do you think she's going to make it?"

"This is one of the hardest things to predict. I've seen people die because they bled so much there was no room for the brain and it compresses the brain. If they don't die it could cause brain damage and I've seen others recover completely after the pressure was relieved from the surgery. I guess it depends on the extent of the injury. It's a good sign that she appeared fine until they got her here, that may mean the damage isn't too severe. I hate waiting, I'm not good at waiting, I'm going to see if there's any news on Sara. I'll be back soon."

"Ok I think I'll just pace for awhile." He smiled at Nancy and then she headed for the nurses' station.

"Hey guys can I get some news on Sara Sidle? She came in with my sister and went into surgery right away." One by one all of the nurses came around to give Nancy a hug.

"Judy told us about Catherine and we've been watching the monitor for when she comes out. Nothing so far and you can see that Sara is still in surgery too. Let me see if I can find out anything for you."

"Thanks Julie, there's a room full of guys who are wearing a path in the hallway and waiting room worrying about both Catherine and Sara. Any news will help."

"Sure I'll be right back."

"Nancy what happened to them?"

"From what I could gather, Sara has had a stalker follow her from California and he caught Catherine and a crime scene and used her to get Sara out there. The son of a bitch knocked them both out and then took them somewhere out in the desert. Sara was able to escape and when she went in to rescue Catherine she was stabbed and then her and Catherine tied the guy up and escaped. Greg saw Catherine's car in the lot and got worried and told their boss and he sent help. They found them in the desert and Sara was in pretty bad shape. They said Catherine appeared to be fine until she got here. And you know the rest."

"Well it's a good sign that Catherine seemed fine until she got here. That could mean its minor damage."

"That's what I keep telling myself. I'm just not sure I can believe it. After some of the things we've seen here, miracles are in short supply." She turned around when the doors to the OR opened and Julie walked through them. "What's happening?"

"They are just finishing up with Sara. There was some minor internal damage but she's going to be fine. She'll be in the ICU overnight and if all goes well she'll be moved to a room in the morning and the guys will be able to visit here then. As for Catherine, the news isn't very good. There's a lot of bleeding and they are trying to see where it's coming from. There may be a blood vessel that ruptured and is causing problems."

"Who is doing the surgery?"

"Dr. James."

"Well she's in good hands, he's the best neurosurgeon here so I guess if it has to be done I would want him to do it. Tell me everything is going to be ok. Lie to me if you have to. She's my big sister, I can't lose her." Nancy finally let the tears fall that she's been holding in for so long. Julie put her arms around her shoulder and led her to the nurses break room.

"Sit down and let me get you some good coffee. If she is all you've said she is at least she won't give up. She's got the red headed Irish spirit so I expect she'll come through this with flying colors." She set the cup of coffee in front of Nancy and sat down across from her. "I'm not used to see you in this position. You are usually the one offering advice to the families and telling them to not give up."

"I told the guys in the waiting room that I will look at the families differently from here on out. I've always assumed that the information we give them is enough to keep them satisfied. But we don't, we tell them what we think they can handle and then walk away and not go back until we have more information. We need to find out how strong they are and gauge how much we should tell them. If you had told me what you would tell any other family I would be going crazy not know what was happening. I just told Greg what could or could not happen to Cath and he seemed relieved to know everything and he's no different than most families. He has probably told the guys what I told him and they will all process it it their own ways."

"But they are all scientists' right?"

"What difference does that make. If it was a doctor or lawyer or baker what's to say they couldn't process the information the same as you or I or a room full of scientists? We think the family is better off not knowing what their loved one is going through and then they blame us when they find it out later and wonder why we didn't tell them. We need to tell them more."

"Nancy you are letting your emotions get the better of you. You may feel differently when you are on this side and talking to a loved one in the future. Don't make any decisions based on what you are feeling right now. Why don't you back to your friends and we will talk about this again when you come on duty in a couple of days."

"What do you mean in a couple of days? I'm due back on duty tomorrow."

"You will probably be here for quite a few more hours and then you will have to go home and take care of Jeremy and Lindsey and then try to get some sleep and then come back here to see how Catherine is doing. That's if we can get you to leave after she's out of surgery. You will be in no condition to come back to work and as your supervisor I want you to get at least 8 straight hours of sleep before you come back. Now why don't you go keep those guys from tearing anything apart and I will let you know when we hear something. Don't forget to tell them about Sara. I know it's hard for you to be happy about Sara right now but you have to let the guys know."

"No I am happy about Sara because I think that Catherine feels more for her than friendship and some of the vibes in the waiting room suggest that Sara may return those feelings. She may be the medicine that will help Catherine survive this. So it is good new and I am happy. Let me go tell the guys." She left the break room and headed back to the waiting room. The guys were all just sitting there staring at the walls and they all looked up when she entered the room. "They are almost done with Sara, they will keep her in the ICU overnight for observation and move her to a private room in the morning if all goes well. They said she should make a full recovery."

"Can we visit her?"

"Sorry Warrick, family only and before you say anything I know you think of yourselves as her family but we can't break the rules for you guys if don't for anyone else. She will be moved in the morning and you can see her then."

"What about Catherine?" Brass walked up to her as he asked the question no one wanted to ask.

"She's still in surgery, there's a lot of bleeding that is causing pressure on the brain. They are trying to find the source of the bleeding and stop it. Until they find that it is touch and go. I suppose I should call my mother and tell her what is happening. God I dread talking to her but I know I have to do it. I guess I'll go out in the hallway and call her." As she stood up to leave she was met by Julie and she noticed she had tears in her eyes. "No, do not tell me she's dead."

For all of you who have reviewed so far, thank you very much, you have inspired me to keep writing. Click the button and tell me what you think. e He


	8. Chapter 8

I'm Back

Chapter 8

Julie took her in her arms and whispered in her ear, "Sweetie I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression. She's alive but during the surgery she slipped into a coma." Julie released her from the hug and sat her down in the nearest chair. She watched as her words sunk in. and Nancy smiled.

"She's alive?" She asked unbelievably. "She's really still alive she's ok?"

"Yes she's alive but we're not sure about the ok part." She realized the rest of the people in the room didn't hear what she whispered to Nancy. "During the surgery they were able to stop the bleeding but Catherine slipped into a coma. All of the tests show that the level of brain activity is exactly where it should be which means that there doesn't appear to be any brain damage. Her body responds to stimulus so it seems there is no reason to not expect her to recover completely. This may just be her body responding to the trauma and shutting down. We'll just have to keep an eye on her. They moved her to the ICU and you can go back shortly Nancy."

"Can I visit Sara too so I can tell the guys how she doing?"

"You can visit Catherine but if you happen to accidently walk into room 6 instead of 7 who's going to stop you right?"

Nancy turned to the guys. "I'll visit Sara first so I can come back to let you know how she's doing and then I'll call my mom and go sit with Catherine. I'll be back soon ok"

Warrick stood up and walked to Nancy and gave her a big hug. "Thank you Nancy we'll be waiting. Give her a hug for us ok?" One by one the guys gave her a hug and more or less said the same thing Warrick had said. Noticeably absent from the lineup was Grissom, he just sat in his chair and seemed to be in his own little world and didn't appear to hear anything going on around him. Nancy gave him one last look before she left the waiting room heading to the ICU.

She looked into Catherine's room and gasped. She wasn't used to seeing her strong, independent older sister in such a helpless state. "I'll be back soon baby." She whispered and then turned to the room next door. She walked into the room and pulled a chair up to Sara's bed and took her hand. She knew that it would be a little while before Sara was fully awake but spoke anyway. "You better not do this again. My sister is too in love with you to take much more of this kind of thing. She's going to need you to be strong for her through the next few weeks. She's not doing very good Sara and I don't know what to do. She's always been the strong one and I don't know if I can be strong enough for both of us. She's always told me that you were the strong smart one and that you completed her. She always glowed when she talked about you, it was so fun to tease her about it. She didn't know how to tell you how she felt because she was so afraid of being rejected and then there's Eddie. Do you know the creep still hasn't shown up here? We've been here for hours and as her husband he was called but he's apparently too busy to answer his phone. I'm going to have to call my mother and tell her what's going on and I know that's one call I'd like to put off as long as possible."

"She loves me?" Came the quiet whisper from the bed.

"Oh shit you weren't supposed to hear that from me. You were supposed to be out for awhile and I just needed to talk."

"But she loves me?" The smile on Sara's face told Nancy that the feelings were definitely mutual. "Where is she can she come visit me, I supposed they won't let her in because she's not family. Well tell them to let her in I want to see her. Is she ok?"

"Boy when you wake up you wake up fast don't you?"

"Yeah, they always told me I responded well to anesthesia and come out fast. I had lots of surgeries as a kid. So, where's Cat?"

"She always liked it when you called her Cat did you know that? She felt it was a special coming from you. Did you notice you were the only one she let call her that? She hated when anyone else called her that and she would bite their head off. But when you called her that she said it made her melt."

"Nancy, you're rambling and starting to worry me. Where's Catherine? Is she ok?"

"No she's not." Nancy couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "She's in the room next door."

"What happened, she seemed to be fine?"

"That's what the guys said too but apparently she was feeling worse than she let on. After they brought you guys in she passed out in the emergency room. They couldn't revive her so they did a CAT scan and found bleeding around the brain."

"A subdural hematoma?"

Nancy laughed a small laugh. "She said you were smart. Yeah that's what it was. They took her into surgery and were able to stop the bleeding but during the surgery she slipped into a coma and she's in the room next door." She pointed to her left to indicate the room to her left as the room Catherine was in. Nancy forgot she had been holding Sara's hand but was reminded when the grip on her hand became painful. "Sara ease up on the hand I need it to do my job."

"Sorry." She let go of her hand. Sara was crying by that time. "I love her too but I didn't have the guts to tell her. I thought she was straight because she's married."

"Well you'll have to talk to her about that but I don't think that will be a problem for long."

"When can I visit her? Can you sneak me into her room? I just want to sit there."

"Whoa girl, you just had major surgery and you won't be able to move around for a day or two. I might be able to talk the doctor into letting you stay in ICU for an extra day or so and maybe then I can sneak you in. But there are some guys out there in the waiting room that are anxious to visit you and they can't come in here so they were hoping they'd move you into a private room."

"I don't care about them, I want to be able to visit Cat and if they move me to a private room I can't do that."

"Let me see what I can do ok? First I have to go let the guys know that you're doing fine and then I want to visit Cathy for a little while. I'll be back soon ok?"

"I'd like that. Thanks for being truthful with me I appreciate it."

"No problem see you soon." She surprised both of them by bending down and kissing Sara on the forehead. She also didn't see the small smile on Sara's face as she left the room.

Sara wasn't used to someone showing that they care in the ways the Flynn family apparently did. Catherine was a tactile person and secretly Sara liked the way Catherine touched her arm when she talked to her. Well maybe there will be more touching in the future. And there will be a future, she refused to think that Catherine was not going to wake up and be ok. She tried to sit up but the pain in her side prevented her from moving. "Ok I'm going to have to work on that if I want to sneak into Catherine's room. If I can just get out of the bed I could make it to her room and just sit in the chair. Come on Sidle you've been in worse shape." She tried sitting up again and almost made it to a sitting position before the pain made her fall back.

"Are you crazy? You should not be trying to sit up this soon. Nancy said you were just as stubborn as her sister but I didn't realize just how stubborn you were."

"And who might you be?"

"My name is Julie and I will be your nurse for the day and I am Nancy's supervisor. She's been pretty worried about you and Catherine. Seems like the two of you have had quite an adventure."

"Is Catherine really in a coma? Will she be ok?"

"I see Nancy is starting her new outlook on how to deal honestly with family members. I didn't expect her to start so soon. But you're one of the scientists so I guess you can handle it. Yes she is in a coma but we expect her to make a full recovery. When she will wake up is up to her. We just have to wait and see."

"When can I visit her?"

"I can see you are already trying to do that on your own. Am I going to have to keep an eye on you or will you behave."

"It all depends on what behaving will get me." Sara smiled at her.

"Oh you are a charmer, if you behave I will help you visit her later today."

"Can you move my bed into her room and just let me sleep there?"

"Now you're pushing your luck young lady. We do have two person rooms upstairs so we may be able to accommodate you later but not in the ICU. Now I have other patients to check on. Can I count on you to stay in bed and stop trying to sit up. If you keep doing that you could rip out the stitches and that would delay being able to see Catherine."

"Well as long as you lay it out like that I guess I have no choice do I?" Just as she said that there was a commotion in the hall way and she heard machines beeping frantically in the room that Nancy had indicated was Catherine's room. Julie immediately left the room and turned right to Catherine's room.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm Back

Chapter 9

Sorry about the screw up with Chapter 8 it's all fixed and I hope this makes up for it. Happy reading.

Sara couldn't just lay there and wait for someone to tell her what was happening in the room next door. She grabbed the railing of her bed and pulled herself to a sitting position. She was able to lower the railing and grabbed the IV pole and hoisted herself out of the bed. It hurt like a bitch but she was determined to see what was happening to Catherine. She took the first tentative step and felt she would be able to make it next door. She walked out the door which was easy because everyone was in Catherine's room and she leaned up against the window to look in Catherine's room. What she saw scared her to death, the nurses and doctors were frantically moving machines out of the way to get as close to her as possible. They lifted up the top half of her body and slid a board under her and then someone started CPR. Until the doctor entered the room and grabbed the defibrillator and went to work trying to restart Catherine's heart. Sara could only stare as the love of her life fought for her life.

She felt someone's arm go around her shoulders and looked to see Nancy standing beside her watching the same scene. "You know you shouldn't be out of your room. I'm not going to make you go back, just let me hold you up because you look like you're about to fall down. You are going to get in big trouble if Julie sees you you know that don't you?"

"Yeah she just read me the riot act when she caught me trying to get out of bed a few minutes ago. But when I heard all the alarms go off and Julie ran out of the room I had to see what was going on." She turned to look at Nancy and saw tears streaming down her cheeks and they matched the ones Sara felt on her own cheeks. "I can't lose her before I've even have her, that would be the cruelest joke of all. She's going to be fine, she's tough, and she's going to make it she has to."

Nancy knew that Sara was trying to convince herself that things were going to be fine, she knew this because silently she was doing the same thing. She was praying that she would not have to call her mother and tell her that her fist born was dead and that Lindsey no longer had a mother. Just as these thought entered her mind the frantic movements in the room stopped and everyone seemed to sigh a collective sigh of relief. Nancy looked up at the heart monitor and saw that Catherine's heart was beating on its own and it was a good strong heartbeat. She turned to Sara with a wide smile. "She's ok. Her hearts beating again and it looks strong and steady. They will probably do some tests to see why it stopped and monitor her closer now. Let's get you back to your room before Julie sees you and really tells you how she feels about disobedient patients." She saw the relief on Sara's face as she helped her back into bed. But along with the relief she saw the pain that she knew Sara had to be in but she disguised it well. "Can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Sara looked up at her and had a feeling she wasn't going to like the question. "I won't make any promises."

"You're used to disguising pain aren't you?" Sara nodded her head bashfully. "That's all I wanted to know. Now let me check to see if you did any damage with that stunt you pulled getting out of bed. You and Catherine are going to have problems if you two ever hook up because you are both stubborn mules. But hey, the makeups should be interesting." She looked up and laughed at the shocked expression and blush on Sara's face. She finished changing the bandages and sat back down beside her bed.

"Your family sure doesn't beat around the bush on things does it? Catherine is just a direct when she wants to get her point across."

"Who do you think I learned it from? Catherine is the master, her and I have had some fights that have almost brought the house down and sent the kids running for their rooms." She had a wistful look in her eyes as she remembered her fights with Catherine. "Then we would be too stubborn to apologize and it would be a week before she would come over and we'd act as if nothing ever happened. But I wouldn't have it any other way with my big sister. I love her to death."

"She's lucky to have you." They fell into a comfortable silence and then Sara fell asleep giving Nancy the chance to go check on Catherine.

She sat down next to Catherine's bed and took her hand just as she had with Sara. "Ya got yourself a keeper there Cathy. She loves you very much. You should have seen her when things went crazy in here. She got herself out of her bed and very painfully made her way to your room and watched them revive you and all she did was cry while it was happening. I think she may have been abused as a child because she exhibits all of the symptoms, you're going to have to be gentle with her and it may take her awhile to open up to you. But I think she will be worth the effort. Just don't approach it with the bulldozer attitude of yours or she will run." Nancy went outside the hospital and made the dreaded call to her mother and since she there was no one to take care of Lindsey she said she would take Lindsey to school and then come by the hospital in the morning and she spent a few minutes yelling at her for not calling sooner. When Nancy hung up she headed back in the door. She walked by the waiting room and was surprised to see the guys, minus Grissom, still there. She poked her head inside the door. "What are you guys still doing here? Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"We want to be here for you and Catherine. Any change?" Warrick had always had a soft spot for Catherine but he also knew how she felt about Sara. Not that she had told him, he just picked it up from the looks she gave her when she didn't think anyone was watching. The flirting that they normally did was cut back significantly since Sara started at CSI. He thought it was kind of cute the way she would smile when Sara walked into the room. "Is she going to be ok?"

"We had quite a scare a little while ago." She went on to tell them what happened and said they were in the process of seeing if it was anything besides the trauma that caused it. "You should have seen Sara. She was still groggy from her own surgery and her side had to have hurt like hell but she managed to climb out of her bed and walked next door to Catherine's room and stood outside watching them revive her. She's one tough cookie."

"Sounds like Sara. They both are but I think they'll give each other a run for their money." Brass said and smiled like he had a secret.

"What's that smile for Jim?" Nick asked innocently. "Do you know something we don't know?"

Greg walked up to Nick and put his arm around his shoulders. "You're the only one that doesn't know pal. Haven't you seen the way they are with each other? "

"They are always at each other's throats and ready to kill each other. So what are you guys talking about and why am I the only one that doesn't know?"

Brass took mercy upon him and brought him up to speed. "Ya see Nicky boy, Catherine has the hots for Sara and Sara has the hots for Catherine. Comprende?

"Ewww no way!" He looked around the room. "You guys are serious aren't you?"

"Well if you weren't the gentleman cowboy and if you had your mind in the gutter like the rest of us then you would have been watching how they have been with each other. It's enough to fuel the fantasies of this lab rat for the rest of the year." Greg laughed and slapped Nick on the back. "And it's only March."

Nancy watched the interaction between these friends and she could see why Catherine liked them all so much. "You guys do know you can't say anything to them about this right? And you also know that we cannot interfere and we have to let them get together in their own way?"

"You mean they aren't together even?" Nick asked still somewhat confused. "If they aren't together, how can you be so sure they like each other?"

"Nick I think there's a Popular mechanics magazine over there you haven't read yet. Come on man get on the same sheet of music that we are on ok. They really like each other but they don't know the other one likes them too. They think the other is straight so they dance around each other. Following me so far Nick?" Nick nods his head. "So now we are going to have fun watching them trying to hide it from us Nancy you won't say anything to Catherine will you?."

Nancy stood up to leave and go back to Catherine she turned back at the door shook her head. "You guys are so mean, let me know how that turns out ok?" She was smiling as she headed back down the hallway to the ICU. She stopped at the desk before she went into Catherine's room. "Hey Julie any changes?"

"No but you had better stop covering for our patient in room 6. I saw that you changed the bandages after the scare with Catherine. Did she try to get up again?"

"Yup and I figured that you were busy with Catherine so I thought it would be ok if I took care of it myself."

"I'm going to have to keep my eye on that one aren't I?" She asked with a smile.

"Don't be too hard on her. I think she's really worried about my sister and just wants what's best for her. She' seems very protective of her. They both shared a harrowing experience so it's only natural that she would want to be with Catherine."

"By the way you are defending her I would venture a guess and say that she did more than try to get out of bed. You do not have to answer because I know you would probably lie to me and I don't want you to have to." This was all said with a smile so Nancy knew that she was not in trouble.

"Let's just say she's a tough one and she's probably been through more than you and I can even wonder about and leave it at that."

"So you noticed the scars too huh?" At Nancy's nod she went on. "Those are all old scars so it had to have happened years ago. Probably when she was a child."

"From the way Catherine describes her I could not see her as the type to let someone beat on her if she was old enough to defend herself. I don't think Catherine knows anything about it because I think she would have said something to me so let's just keep it to ourselves ok?"

"Sure thing, she's an adult and can take care of herself so it goes no further than here. Now is there a chance when I come back on duty in the morning that I might find her sitting in the chair next to Catherin's bed?"

"You can almost bet on it." They both laughed and Nancy stopped by Sara's room and saw that she was sleeping so she went and sat in the chair in Catherine's room and took her hand again. "Well sis how ya doin'? Mom will be in in the morning after she takes Lindsey to school. Hope you're awake by then. Sure would be nice."

"Where's my wife? Someone said she was in the ICU." Nancy heard the loud voice and groaned then hurried out of the room in time to see an obviously drunk Eddie staggering down the hallway with a nurse trying to keep him quiet. Oh great a perfect ending to an otherwise crappy day.

Ok the reviews have been great. Keep them coming.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm Back

Ok for those of you that have been gaithful in your reviews I decided to post another chapter sooner rather than later. Thank you for your reviews they keep me writing. So if you want more, click the button at the end of this chapter and let me know what you think.

Nancy walked up to Eddie and looked in square in the eye. "Eddie if you can't shut up we will call security and have you escorted out of the hospital."

Eddie had to back up a little to be able to focus on the face in front of him. It took him awhile to realize who was talking to him. "Nancy why didn't someone call me earlier? I should have been called. I'm her damn husband."

"Eddie if you had had your pants on you would have heard the cell phone attached to them ring. They called you 3 times and didn't get answer so they called me. Now are you going to be quiet or not?" Nancy was quickly losing what little patience she had left. "Do you really care how she is or do you just like making a scene?"

"Just tell me if she's gonna live or do I have to take care of Lindsey now?" He said it with a sneer and that just pissed Nancy off even more.

"Yes Eddie she is going to live and she will be able to take care of Lindsey. You can go on disappointing your daughter as you always do by making plans and not following through on them. Don't let the little fact that your wife is in a coma stop you from being the bastard we all know you are." Eddie staggered and fell against the wall. And of course it had nothing to do with what Nancy had just said it was just the amount of alcohol still in his system. "How much have you had to drink tonight Eddie?"

"Not enough, if you say she's going to live I guess I'll just go back to what I was doing."

"Don't you even want to see her?"

"You said she was in a coma so what good would it do to see her? It's not like she's gonna talk to me. Hell she doesn't talk to me when she conscious why would I want to sit by her bed when she unconscious?" His laugh was the laugh of someone who truly felt that he was being wronged and deserved better.

"You know what Eddie? Maybe you should just go back to your little party and your flavor of the month or week or whatever the bimbos are to you lately. Catherine doesn't need or want you near her right now."

Eddie grabbed Nancy and pushed her up against the wall and was so close to her face she could see the bloodshot veins in his eyes. "Listen bitch, a man has needs and if they aren't being met at home you go where you can get it. Your sister is so busy becoming the model citizen she doesn't have time for me anymore." He didn't have the chance to say anything more as the security guards pulled him off Nancy and started to escort him out of the building. "Don't think this is the end, you and that bitch in that room are not rid of me yet." Eddie yelled back and they forcefully removed him from the ICU.

"Nancy are you ok?" Julie had been watching the whole thing and had called security and was ready to jump in if Nancy needed help. As were the other 4 nurses standing behind her.

"Sorry guys, my sister's bastard of a husband decided to make an appearance. I'm going to go talk to Captain Brass a minute and I'll be right back ok?" She left without saying another word. She found the guys as they were before and she went directly up to Brass. "Captain Brass, Eddie was just here and he was a bit belligerent and I'm not sure if he can be trusted. Not that you could before, but this is a bit more than usual."

"Well we've already decided to post a guard on their rooms or room or whatever. Maybe that would be a good reason to put them both in the same room, save on man power." He smirked as he said the last part. "We'll make sure they put him on the list of people to keep away from our girls. Nancy can you tell the nurses in the ICU that there will be an officer there in about an hour if one shows up sooner call me."

"We'll make sure he stays away from them. I never did like that creep. At least Catherine's taste is improving." Nick said with a small smile. He looked around at the amused faces. "Hey I've had time to think about it and it's cool by me. As long as they are happy. Nancy you go worry about those two in there and we will take care of things from this end." He watched her leave and

then turned back to the other guys. "Now we need to figure out how Sara's stalker was able to get Catherine in the first place."

"How was he able to get her into the building? Hey Jim have you checked on the original scene yet?" Warrick stood up as he asked.

"Yeah we found the first responder unconscious and tied up in a closet in one of the back rooms. But Catherine still would not have gone in the house unless she spoke to a cop first. That means he either knocked out our guy after she entered the scene or he was dressed as a cop and was the one to tell her the scene was clear and therefore she felt safe to enter the scene. Catherine never got around to that part in the helicopter because she was too worried about Sara. Damn I wish I had known she was hurting too, I would have done more for her then. She said it was just a bump on the head."

"Don't beat yourself up, you had to take her word for it. She's too stubborn for her own good. There's nothing we can do now except make sure it doesn't happen again." Nick patted him on the back and went to sit down. "Let's figure out how we can lure this guy out. He's going to be on his guard and won't trust any cops or CSI's."

"How are we going to verify the guards are who they say they are when they show up here?"

"Warrick why do you always have to throw a wrench in where it doesn't belong? But I didn't think about that. I guess I will hand pick the team and the nurses will have pictures of them and if someone else shows up they will call me personally and it will be dealt with. Now I'm going to have to leave and maybe you guys should go get some sleep. If things change here I will make sure Nancy gives us a call. I don't think she is going anywhere anytime soon. Go home get some sleep and we can attack this with clear minds on shift later. I will take care of the guards for tonight personally."

"Ok I guess we do need to get some sleep. See ya'll later."

"Hey Nick can I grab a ride back to the office so I can pick up my car?"

"Sure Greg come on let's go. We'll get this creep that's stalking Sara and then we'll throw a party as we string him up."

They all headed out to the parking lot as they were talking and went in their separate ways. None of them saw the man sitting on the bench smoking a cigarette just outside the emergency room door. He smiled a feral smile when he thought about the fact that they think they will catch him. "They didn't catch me in California and they won't catch me here. But this time Sara will not get away from me." He stood up and walked into the hospital and went to the information desk. "Excuse me ma'am I was told my sister Sara Sidle was brought in here. Could you tell me what room she is in?"

"Sure officer just one minute and I'll give you that information."


	11. Chapter 11

I'm Back

Chapter 11

Sara woke with a start and for a moment she didn't remember where she was. She tried to sit up and it all came back to her with a flash of pain in her side. "Damn that hurts." She looked over and saw an empty wheel chair sitting beside her bed and she thought if she could get into it she could wheel herself into Catherine's room. She was just getting ready to try to sit up when she looked up towards the door. She smiled sheepishly when she realized she was caught.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to attempt your earlier feat."

"Nancy told you about that?"

Julie smiled to show she wasn't mad. "No, I guessed it and she kept your secret. Want me to help you?"

"Please, I'd really like to just sit by her bed if it's ok. I won't disturb her."

"I know you won't. Come on let's get you out of that bed and into the chair." She watched Sara carefully as she helped her from the bed to the chair. She saw her wince once but she also noticed that she was smiling at the prospect of seeing Catherine. She wheeled her into Catherine's room and pulled the curtains closed then closed the door and returned to the nurse's station in time to hear the officer ask after Sara. She walked around the station and took over from the nurse he was talking to. "Can I help you officer?"

"Yeah they told me I could find my sister Sara here in the ICU."

"Hang on a minute I'll be right back ok?" She left and went into Catherine's room and closed the door. "Sara, do you have a brother who is a cop here?"

"No, why is there someone here?"

"Yeah, you need to stay right here. Nancy give me the phone number you have for Captain Brass. I will call him from the desk and try to alert him." She turned to Sara. "Do not move from this room either of you. Understand?" She took the paper from Nancy and returned to the nurses' station. "Officer, right now she is downstairs for some tests so let me call to see how much longer they will be ok?"

"Sure I'll just sit here and wait then."

Julie picked up the phone and dialed the phone number Nancy had given her and waited. Captain Brass answered on the 2nd ring. "Jim this is Julie up on the ICU ward and I wanted to know how much longer you will have Sara down there running tests? Her brother is here and he wants to visit with her."

"Is this Nancy's friend?"

"Yes."

"Sara doesn't have a brother, are you telling me there is someone there that claims to be her brother?"

"That's correct."

"Do not let him get anywhere near Catherine or Sara I'm on my way."

"Ok I'll let him know." She hung up the phone and turned back to the man. "They said she would probably be down there for about another ½ hour or so. You can wait if you would like."

"Maybe I will wait for a little while. I was told her friend Catherine was brought in at the same time, can you tell me how she's doing?"

"I'm sorry we can only release that information to family members. There's a chair over there if you'd like to wait." She pointed to a chair over by the entrance to the ICU.

"Thank you." He looked at his watch and sat down.

Julie saw that he was very nervous. Well I guess if I did what he just did to Catherine and Sara I would be nervous too. She headed back into Catherine's room and sat down in the chair. "Captain Brass is on the way." She turned to Sara. "How do you do this every day, I spent 5 minutes with one guys and I'm a wreck."

Sara managed a small smile. "You get used to it. You better not stay in here too long he may get suspicious, sorry you have to deal with this."

"Don't be sorry, just stay here for a little while longer." She stood up and left the room. When she walked out in the hallway she looked towards where the man had been sitting earlier and the chair was empty. She rushed to the doors and opened them and looked both ways down the hallway but it was empty. "Damn." She looked back to the right and saw Captain Brass and about 4 other uniformed officers coming down the hallway. She hurried to them. "Did you just see another officer in the parking lot? He left when I went into Catherine's room, He had to have just left."

Brass turned back to the other officers. "Head back out and grab that guy we just saw leaving, that has to be him. Hurry, I want that guy." He turned to Julie. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know how you guys do it. I was so scared that he was going to catch on to what I was doing and do something. Luckily I had just wheeled Sara into Catherine's room and shut the curtains or he would have seen her. She's still in there now. Come on I'll take you back, I don't care if you're family or not."

He followed her back to the ICU and she opened the door to Catherine's room and moved back to let Jim pass. Sara looked up and she smiled a full gapped toothed smile for the first time since she woke up. "Hey Jim, what brings you around?"

"Always the smart ass huh?" He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "So how's our girl doing?" He looked up at Nancy first and then to the still form of Catherine lying in bed.

"Still nothing new, but nothing is good compared to what she's been through since she got here. So did you catch the guy?"

He looked first at Sara then at Nancy. "Sorry, he was gone by the time we got here. But he's getting sloppy. We can get a picture from the security camera and get it out there. He can't hide forever. I have 4 guys that will be guarding your rooms in shifts and before I leave they will have pictures of them at the desk and when I have this guy's picture I will make sure they have copies here at the hospital. Now can you two stop worrying about it? Sara you need to concentrate on healing so that when you get well you can take care of Sleeping Beauty there."

Sara's head snapped up to look at Brass with a shocked expression on her face. "What are talking about? We would kill each other, we don't get along. She's got family that can take care of her. Right Nancy?"

"I'm sure she'd rather have you taking care of her."

"You're no help."

"What you don't want to take care of her?" Brass asked not so innocently.

"What the hell are you talking about Jim?" Sara continued to act as if she didn't know what he was getting at.

"Come on Sara, I think I've come to know you pretty well in the time you've been here and I kind of like to think of you like a daughter. I've seen the way you react when Catherine is in the room. Your eyes kind of light up and you blush when she touches you."

"Gee Jim that sounded almost poetic. How long have you known?"

"Probably from the first day you two stood in the same room together. So you do want to take care of her then?"

Sara looked down at their joined hands and then up at Catherine's face. "I would love to take care of her and Lindsey but there's one little problem you two are not seeing."

"What's that?" Both Nancy and Brass asked in unison.

"She's married and I don't think Eddie would take kindly to a woman taking his wife and child away from him."

"What if his wife didn't want to have anything to do with him?" Came the quiet response from the woman lying in the bed. Sara winced from the pain when she tried to stand up but managed to stand up so that she could look Catherine in the eye. I kicked him out last week."

"Hey you. You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?" She could help the smile on her face.

"Got a headache and shit my chest hurts what the hell happened?" She finally turned to Nancy to ask the last part.

"How about we talk about that later. I'm going to let Julie know you're awake." She leaned down and kissed Catherine on the forehead and whispered. "Welcome back sis, enjoy the drugs while you can."

"Hey Jim how ya doin?" She had a silly smile on her face. "What did she mean welcome back?" She turned to Sara for the last part. "How ya feeling sweetie?"

"You're so cute when you are high on pain killers. I guess I'll wait until you're not so high to talk about what's been happening." As Sara said this the door opened and Julie and Nancy came back in the room. "She must be getting better stuff than me because she's not feeling any pain. Can I have some of what's she's having? Something's not right when someone who's been in a coma gets better drugs than someone who is in pain."

"You wouldn't be in so much pain if you would stay in bed or even in the damn wheel chair." Julie used her best nurse's voice but she knew she fell short. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I can get in for just letting you two in this room?" She indicated Sara and Brass. Then she looked at Nancy. "If I ever hear anyone mention this I own you. Come to think of it, I own you anyway because of all of this. Now as for you Catherine let me check those bandages."

"What bandages, I don't have any bandages." She giggled and held up her hands to show there were no bandages. "See no bandages."

"They're up here dear." Julie tapped her head where the bandages were and Catherine rolled her eyes and pouted when she couldn't see anything. "I don't know if I've ever seen a grown woman pout like that." She laughed with the rest of the people in the room. She removed the bandages and checked everything and replaced the bandages with new ones. "I will let the doctor know you are awake so he can check on you before he goes home. The two of you need to rest." She pointed at both Sara and Catherine. "I just adjusted the drip on her pain meds so she should be acting normal soon."

Catherine patted the bed next to her. "Come on Sara, rest with me. How are you by the way? I found your pads in the glove compartment and used them to bandage you up. Pretty smart huh? Come on up maybe I will give you that kiss you asked for out in the desert."


	12. Chapter 12

I'm Back

Sara blushed profusely and lowered her head. "God now I'm really embarrassed first the pads now the kiss, I wasn't sure I had said that or not." She whispered to herself.

"What was that Sara?" Brass asked while he was trying to keep from laughing.

"Nothing just forget it. Can you guys give us some privacy please?" Nancy gave her a knowing look. "I promise I will not climb into her bed." Brass and Nancy left the room. "Cat, I just wanted to thank you for what you did out in the desert."

Catherine looked a little confused at first then her head cleared a little. Catherine held her hand up for Sara to take which Sara did willingly. "Sweetie I was just returning the favor. You could have left me there and saved yourself but you didn't. Besides if I think back all the way to the beginning of this you were ready to trade yourself for me."

"Of course I was, and I would do it again he was after me not you. If it weren't for me you wouldn't be in that bed right now. You'd be home with Lindsey instead of here."

"We can talk about Lindsey later I want to talk about us."

"Cat I want to talk about us too but I want to do it when you aren't high and I know you will remember the conversation and we can discuss what to do."

"Sara look at me, look at my eyes. The drugs are slowing down and right now I am starting to feel the pain in my head and soon I'm going to want to know what the bandages are all about but right now you are what is important to me. I know that Eddie is going to be a problem, he has the divorce papers already but he won't sign them yet. I'm not sure why."

"Maybe he doesn't want to give up his control over you just yet." Sara smiled.

"Hey no one controls me!" She looked up in time to see Sara's smile. "Oh you think I'm going to let you get away with a comment like that?"

"You think I don't know that no one can control you? You are the most independent woman I have ever known and I don't think there is a man or woman alive that will ever be able to control you."

"Oh I don't know Sidle, there are ways I may let you control me if you'd like to give it a try." Sara blushed. "Oh that blush is so cute. At least I know we are thinking alike."

"Behave yourself. Are you sure you want to talk now?"

"When else do you think we will have a chance? Now is as good a time as any. Lindsey already thinks you rock. Her words not mine. Apparently you sat and talked with her at the lab one night and she has worshipped the ground you walk on ever since. 'Mom Sara is soooo cool', 'Mom when can Sara come over?'. And apparently you email her on a regular basis and she talks to you. I didn't know she even knew how to use the internet let alone email. And you say you're not good with kids."

"I didn't know you knew about that. Why didn't you say anything? I'm sorry if I stepped on any toes. "

"Of course you didn't sweetie. If I didn't like it I would have stopped it and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to change anything with you and Lindsey and you may have acted differently if you knew I knew. Now enough of that, what do you want from a relationship with me?"

"I think it is going to take some time getting used to straight to the point type of conversation your family apparently likes to use. Ok lets talk. At first I thought my feelings were just a crush, I tried to get over it by chasing after Grissom. Did you know he kissed me once?" At Catherine's grimace she smiled and continued. "That's kind of how I felt afterwards. I just about resigned myself to the fact that I could never have you. I thought I could deal with my feelings but every time you walked into the room my heart would flutter and I couldn't deny how I felt. I was proud when you did something good, I was sad when you were sad, I hurt when you hurt and I was jealous as hell when you went out on a date. Those date nights were the nights when I would go home and drink myself to sleep. I've never been good with relationships but I would really like to try with you. I want to take care of both you and Lindsey."

"Baby I wish I had known. Ever since you and those long legs walked into the lab it was always you. Eddie and I had been over for a long time before that and I went out on dates but I paid the price because what's good for Eddie was not good for me, he hated it when I dated other guys and he showed his displeasure with his fists. The dates have always been a substitute for you. I watched you chase after Grissom and it made me sick. I would go out and find someone to occupy my mind for a few hours and then I would go home sick to my stomach because nothing had changed. You were still unattainable and no matter how many guys I slept with I still wanted you. And I still do. But I don't just want you in my bed. I want you sitting down with Lindsey and I for breakfast in the morning, I want you waiting for me when I come home from work if you had the night off and I want to be waiting for you when you come home on my night off. I want to be the one you come to if you have a bad case and I want to come to you and have you hold me when I have a particularly hard case."

"Wow!" The smile on Sara's face was priceless. "I guess I never thought there would ever be a chance that you would return my feelings but to hear it put that way is humbling. I want that too Cat, I want everything."

"Why do I think there is a 'but' coming?"

"Because there is. As much as I would love to act on these feelings I can't as long as you are married. I don't want to give Eddie a reason to hurt you and if he does try I want to have the right to defend you." She held up her hand as Catherine started to protest. "I know you can defend yourself and I will only do so if completely necessary but I want the right to do so. But I can't claim that right as long as you are married to him. I don't want to put any pressure on you and I won't, I will wait for you for as long as it takes." She looked up at Catherine and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Baby I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry. Please don't cry." She stood up to wipe a tear from her cheek but in doing so she hurt her side and winced.

"Are you ok?" Sara nodded silently and couldn't stop herself from caressing Catherine's cheek and she almost groaned when Catherine closed her eyes and leaned into the caress. Sara moved her hand and sat back down. When Catherine saw she was ok she continued. "They're happy tears so don't worry. No one has ever wanted to do that for me. No one has ever wanted to take care of me. To Eddie I have always been a piece of property to control, to the men I danced for I was always just a piece of ass to ogle and fill their fantasies and to Grissom I have always been someone he could mold into a good CSI. I owe him everything but I think I have more than paid my debt to him by becoming a damn good CSI. But no one has just wanted to take care of me. Not even my own mom could do that. I will see what I can do with Eddie, the sooner the better and it will be worth it to know you will be waiting. Can't I even get a little kiss?"

Sara smiled and evil smile. "Do you think that would be wise?"

"We won't know until we try."

"So maybe we can look at it as an experiment. Who knows, maybe there won't be any sparks and all of this will be for naught. We'll kiss and go our separate ways and we can both get over it right?" She looked up at Catherine and saw the same doubt in her eyes that she knew was in hers. "Ah hell who am I kidding, there are sparks when we just look at each other so why the hell wouldn't there be sparks when we kiss. Maybe just one ok?"

"Sure Sidle just one we'll see about that." Sara stood up slowly this time and was careful of all the equipment around the bed. She leaned over and slowly brought her lips down to meet Catherine's in a tentative kiss. She gasped when their lips made contact and that was all the encouragement Catherine needed to deepen the kiss. Catherine brought her hand up and placed it behind Sara's head and pulled her closer. Sara didn't respond immediately but it didn't take long for her brain to kick in and realize that she really was kissing Catherine. This was not a dream and she slowly brought her tongue out to touch Catherine's lips and was granted access to the smoothness that was Catherine's mouth. Sara both heard and felt the moan from Catherine's lips and she thought it was the sexiest thing she had ever heard.

Reluctantly she pulled back and rested her forehead against Catherine's forehead. "Wow! I mean… Wow!"

"Yeah, I would have to agree with you." Both were breathing heavily.

"Well I guess that didn't help matters much did it?"

"I think it answered the question as to whether there would be sparks or not. Those were definitely sparks shooting everywhere. Check the machines and make sure we didn't short anything out. We might be in trouble if anyone was watching my heart monitor, I'm surprised someone didn't come running in here to make sure I was ok."

Sara jumped back as if she had been burned. "Oh God I forgot about. That may not have been a good idea, your heart might not be strong enough for this yet."

"What are you talking about there's nothing wrong with my heart." Sara sat down again and took Catherine's hand in hers. "Sara what is it, what aren't you telling me."

"Just after I woke up in the room next door Julie was talking t me and all of the sudden the monitors in your room went crazy. She went running out of my room and into yours. I climbed out of my bed and made my way over to the window and they were performing CPR. Your heart had stopped and I was so scared you were going to die. Nancy and I stood there helpless and all we could do was cry. Now here I am practically attacking you hours after that happened."

"One kiss is not attacking me and I was a willing partner in that kiss, very willing. But I guess that explains why my chest hurts so much." At Sara's worried expression she went on to explain. "Sweetie it hurts from the CPR not from any heart problems. Will you lay down here with me?" She held up her hand when she saw Sara was going to argue. "What are they going to do? Kick us out of the hospital? Come on, if we're careful we can do this." She saw Sara's determination weakening so she pushed on before Sara talked herself out of it. "I'll sleep better if you are with me." She even added puppy dog eyes to cement the deal.

"Oh that is so not fair. Now I see where Lindsey learned it from. How am I supposed to resist that?"

"You're not supposed to, now get up here before someone comes to take you away." Sara moved around to the other side of the bed so that most of the machines and wires were on the other side and her left side would be to the outside away from Catherine. She gently lay down and slid her arm under Catherine's shoulder and lay back. Catherine put her head on Sara's shoulder and placed her arm on Sara's stomach careful not to touch her injury. "I can tell your side hurts can you tell me what they said?"

"I guess it was more than a scratch." Catherine raised her head and gave Sara a look that said 'duh' and lay her head back down. Sara made sure Catherine was comfortable before she continued. "It was actually a stab wound that went pretty deep. I still don't even remember him getting close enough to get me that good. Must have been adrenalin that kept me going as long as I did. The wound was deep enough to cause a bit of internal damage…" Now it was Catherine's turn to jump back afraid she was hurting Sara. "You're fine, more than fine actually. I guess there was some internal bleeding and it nicked the liver. But they stitched everything up and with some rest I should be good as new." She saw Catherine fighting sleep so she started to brush her finger through her hair and soon Catherine was fast asleep and it didn't take long for Sara to fall asleep too.

Nancy carefully opened the door to Catherine's room and had to smile at the scene before her. She motioned for Julie to come over. Julie looked in the room and turned to Nancy. Julie reached past Nancy and pulled the door closed and then turned to back to her. "You were so bad to watch her heart monitor. It was almost like being a peeping tom. And then to keep watching it to see when it leveled out to know when she fell asleep. As long as they sleep I guess it won't hurt to leave them alone. How could you know that Sara was asleep too?"

"She was fighting sleep the whole time we were in her room and I knew she wouldn't sleep until Catherine did. So as soon as Catherine's heartbeat slowed I knew it wouldn't be long before Sara fell asleep. She was either going to fall asleep in her chair or on the bed. You owe me five buck by the way. Told you I knew my sister would be able to talk her into her bed."


	13. Chapter 13

I'm Back

Chapter 13

The man frantically paced back and forth and kept looking to the wall. "Why are you doing this Sara? We are soul mates, we were meant to be together and we will be together. We've hit a little bump in the road but I know we can get through this. I just have to approach this from a different perspective." He stopped pacing and stood staring at the wall. "You seem to have matured since you got to Nevada. I like your hair when you let it curl just that little bit on the ends. I've always adored that little gap in your tooth did you know that? I just wish you would admit that you feel the same way that I do and stop fighting me. I've seen you throw away my gifts and the fear that comes to your eyes when you receive them. I don't mean to scare you, I just want to show you how much I love you and how we belong together."

He stood up again and started pacing and soon his demeanor became less frantic and turned angry. "Catherine made a mistake when she showed up at the crime scene instead of you. Yes I set it up and was hoping you would be the one to show up but that bitch showed up instead and ruined everything. I was so close to having you with me forever but you managed to find a way to escape. I applaud your ingenuity and your ability to escape from an almost impossible situation and you are proving to be a worthy adversary. I do believe that I may begin to enjoy the chase and it may make the capture all the more pleasing. Look around the room I have prepared for you."

He spread his arms as if she were there with him. "It's an exact replica of your bedroom in your house on the beach in San Francisco, you were so happy there so I thought it would be nice to bring you back here and you would feel comfortable. I spent many hours just sitting in your room while you were at work, you didn't even know did you? I created one in the house I had just down the beach from you in California too but you never gave me the chance to show you. Why did you run Sara? I loved California, I hate Las Vegas. I can tell you hate it here too maybe we can return to California together. We can run in the surf together like you used to do every morning. I loved to see you in that black bikini that you used to wear when you and your friends had those bon fires on the beach. Can't do that here can you? Kind of hard to surf at Lake Mead now isn't it? You belong on the beach my love. You have no idea the joy I felt when you would be out on the water on your surf board. Those long legs were meant for a surf board, all those muscles rippling as you had complete control of your board."

He appeared to be becoming more agitated as he spoke. "They are stifling your creativity here Sara, we need to go back to California. I know there are some issues that need to be addressed and I will be there to help you work through them. Your Mom is not a happy woman in that female prison in Chowchilla but that's where she belongs. The last time I talked to her before I moved here she was still very angry at you for testifying against her at her trial. I know you did what you had to do but she doesn't understand you like I do. But you have to face your past to go forward with your future and your future is with me. We can and will be happy all you have to do is stop fighting me. Soon you will see all that I have done for you and you will learn to love me. Once I have you out of here and you see this room you will realize that I am what is best for you. First I have to get you away from the rest of the CSI's, especially Catherine so I can show you that we were meant to be together."

He left the room and walked through the rest of the house all the while he was able to see the many things he bought to make Sara comfortable. The hanging wicker chair was one of his favorites because he remembered watching Sara on her deck as she would sit in a chair just like it and watch the sun set almost every night. Her eyes would grow wistful as she laid her head against the side of the chair and watched the last rays disappear below the horizon. She would sit there until the breeze from the ocean became chilly and then sigh a deep sigh and head back into the house. The same routine every night. She had loved her little house on the beach and that was why he bought it after she left California and he planned to bring her back to it once they were together. "You will be happy again and we can sit on the deck together and watch the sunset. We will be happy together if we have to die together to accomplish that then so be it."

He went into his bedroom and opened the closet and tried to decide how he would disguise himself today. "They will be looking for a cop today so it would be best if I wore something that would blend in with the rest of the people at the hospital. Ah yes this will do nicely. I haven't used this one since California."

That night at the crime lab the guys were busy sifting through all of the stuff that Ecklie's day shift crew had found in the mobile home out in the desert. "Do you think these guys left anything in the mobile home or did they just grab everything and bring it back here?" Nick picked up another bag and dumped in on another table. "Looks to me like Ecklie may have grabbed everything and thrown in some other stuff just to keep us busy so his guys can look good."

"Hey Nick look on the bright side, at least he's letting us work the case. He could have said there was a conflict of interest and not let us work it at all. I'm going to go talk to Grissom and see if we can use Greg to sift through some of this crap."

"You're a braver man than me Warrick Brown. You saw the kind of mood he was in and you are willing to face him? I bow to a greater man." Nick actually bowed and when Warrick slapped him on the back of the head he stood up. "Ouch man what was that for? I think you're either the bravest man or the stupidest. I'll reserve judgment for later as to which it is." He laughed as Warrick left the room. Then he turned back to the table he was working on and started sifting through the rubbish. He laid the duct tape on the table and carefully tried to see if he could lift any useable prints. He used the lift tape and had a print that he then scanned it in the computer and went back to work while it searched through Automated Fingerprint Identification System commonly known as AFIS. He was still sifting through the same stack when Warrick came back into the room.

"Man why didn't I just listen to you? How long do you think Grissom is going to be mad at Catherine? It's not like she stole Sara away from him, these vibes have been bouncing all over the place between Catherine and Sara since day one. If Grissom was any kind of people person he would have seen it."

"You guys talking about our two favorite girls again?" Greg entered the room with his usual panache. "Grissom said you needed some help. Wendy is going to cover my caseload so I can solve this crime for you guys."

"Yeah like a lab rat is going to be able to do that." Nick turned when he heard a beep from the computer running the fingerprints. "Say it ain't so. The guy isn't in AFIS. Strike one."

"Well then I have strike two." They all turned to see Archie standing in the doorway. "I just reviewed the video from the hospital and it looks like the guy knew about the cameras. He kept his hat on and head down enough so that there isn't one useable picture of him on the entire video. There are pictures of him coming into the hospital, pictures of him at the information desk and the ICU desk and sitting in the chair in the ICU. And in all of them he kept his face hidden. Sorry guys, I already told Brass and he said he'd tell Grissom and Ecklie. Sure wouldn't want to be anywhere near Grissom when he tells him. You guys have any idea what or who put the burr up Grissom's butt and put him in such a bad mood?"

Warrick, Nick and Greg all looked at each other and smiled and then turned to Archie as one. "No idea man, nope sorry, heck no" and they all turned back to the table and lowered their heads.

"Oh no you don't you guys know something. Come on I'm bored, I could use some gossip and from the looks of you guys it's something good."

"Man we would if we could but we made a promise not to say anything about it and a promise is a promise."

"Come on Warrick, I am begging you man." Warrick just shook his head so Archie turned to Greg. "Come on Greg you owe me."

"Archie, begging does not become you and it's not that we don't want to tell you but if we did, we'd have to kill you."

"If we didn't kill you Grissom would. And you know better than anyone that if he killed you they would never find your body. So like we said we can't tell ya Arch we like ya too much."

"Nick you guys are so cold, and so unfair."

"Hey if you want to know, go ask Grissom."

"No way, but I will find a way to find out what is going on. Maybe I'll ask Brass."

"He won't tell you either."

"Is this a conspiracy? Speaking of conspiracies, has anyone seen Catherine or Sara?"


	14. Chapter 14

I'm Back

Chapter 14

Catherine slowly woke and it took her a few minutes to remember where she was and on whose shoulder her head was resting. That brought a smile to her face. "About time you woke up sleepy head. You are so beautiful when you sleep, so at peace like you don't have a care in the world. But alas reality intrudes." Sara smiled down at her.

Catherine lifted her head so she could look at Sara. "Well I wouldn't have slept so peacefully if your shoulder wasn't so comfortable."

"Flattery will get you everything."

"Will it get me a kiss? And don't ask me if it is wise, I want one whether it's wise or not."

"Are you always this demanding in the morning?"

"Only on mornings when I am lying in a hospital bed with the woman of my dreams knowing that this idyllic moment could be interrupted any minute by the nurse coming in to check my vitals and wonder where the patient from the other room is." Catherine lowered her mouth to Sara's and they both sighed in utter contentment. "I could get used to this Sara Sidle." She lowered her mouth again. They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat at the door. "See I told you." They both turned towards the door at the same time. "Shit, Mom." She moved a little fast and accidently hit Sara's side and when she flopped down her head reminded her why she was here. Both women were in pain but Catherine also found it amusing. Sara tried to sit up and her side hurt again but she was determined to get off the bed. "Sara lay back down you're going to hurt yourself." She reached out and grabbed the back of Sara's gown and pulled her back down onto the bed.

"It looks as if the two of you are going to hurt each other if you keep moving around as much as you are." Catherine looked up and was surprised to see her mother was smiling and not angry.

Sara was still trying to get off the bed but Catherine maintained her hold on the hospital gown. "Sara stop fighting her she's not letting go." Sara looked up into Lily's eyes and saw the same amusement she knew she would see if she looked into Catherine's eyes. "I already know what's going on so lay back down before you hurt yourself any further. Do either of you need a nurse? Are either of you hurting still?"

Sara finally lay back down and Catherine put her head back on her shoulder. "No Mom I think were good. Sara are you good? I mean do you still hurt? I already know you're good." If possible Sara blushed even more.

"Catherine have mercy on the poor girl. Give her time to get used to our family, if you keep that up she's going to jump out of that bed and run as far from here as possible." Lily couldn't stop the note of humor from entering her voice.

"Sara are you going to run away? I'll chase you if that's what you want." By this time Catherine was laughing and holding her head at the same time.

"Cat stop laughing you're going to hurt yourself." Sara was really worried that Catherine was going to hurt herself. That only made her laugh even harder.

"Sara you can't do anything when she gets like this except let her get it out of her system." Lily turned to Catherine. "Dear you're scaring Sara and I don't think either one of you are in any shape to put up with anymore aches. But then again you probably aren't in any shape to be doing what you were doing when I entered your room." Her comment sent Catherine into a whole new fit of laughing. "Oh oh there she d goes again." Lily's last comment also started Sara laughing too but it hurt way too much to laugh and her wince of pain sobered Catherine up quickly.

"Oh sweetie I'm sorry lay still let me get the nurse."

"No let me get out of bed before you call the nurse. I don't want her to see me in your bed." By this time there was a fine sheen of sweat on Sara's brow. "Damn I think I broke the stitches. I don't think this is what they meant when they coined the phrase busting a gut laughing" She looked down and saw a small amount of blood on the bandages. "Damn now they are going to separate us."

"Sara don't worry about that. Mom go get a nurse quick."

"Cat I'm fine it's just a little bit of blood."

"Sara would you quit trying to sit up, you're only causing more damage." The nurse came running in.

"So what have you two done now Catherine?"

"It was Mom's fault Jeanne. She made us laugh and it tore Sara stitches out. Help her I think she might have hurt herself." Jeanne turned to Sara and lifted her gown and went about removing the bandages.

"Is there anyone in this hospital you don't know Catherine? And is there anyone who doesn't know you have feelings for me, besides me that is?"

"Nancy has been a nurse here for many years, Eddie has put me in here on more than a few occasions and our job sends us here more often than it should. So I guess through all of that I've gotten to know almost every nurse, doctor or orderly here." She saw Sara wince and reached for her hand and held it while Jeanne added a couple new stitches.

Jeanne looked up at Lily with a severe warning. "Stop making my patients laugh or I'll have to keep you out." She ruined the effect with a smile. She then turned towards Catherine and Sara. "And you two had better separate before the doctors start their rounds in about an hour. Sara stop trying to move so damn fast or you're going to tear out the stitches I just put in. Let me help you."

Catherine started laughing but not quite as bad. "Good luck with that." Sara reached behind her and slapped Catherine's hand. But she still attempted to move on her own. "Sara quit being so stubborn and let her help you into the chair."

"No you will not be getting out of that bed anytime soon Catherine, the doctor said they will need to check the drain tube then another CAT scan to make sure that the bleeding has stopped and then maybe remove the tube."

"Sara "I'm sorry you're hurting. Will you come see me when you can?" She asked somewhat nervously.

Sara was surprised by the nervousness in Catherine's voice. She reached for her hand and brought it to her lips and kissed it gently all the while maintaining eye contact with Catherine. She smiled at Catherine's sharp intake of breath and was glad to know she wasn't the only one feeling this way. "You think a little blood and some doctors will keep me away? I will be back as soon as they will let me." She kissed her hand again and allowed Jeanne to wheel her out of the room.

Catherine lay back on the bed and sighed. "She sure is a charmer isn't she?" She had actually forgotten that her mother was in the room. "She cares for you very much. But I think you're going to have to be very careful with her Catherine."

"Why do you say that Mom?" She asked very seriously. "What did you see that would make you say that?"

"She has a look in her eyes that says she's been hurt. You've said you thought she was hiding something when you talked about her in the past maybe that's what it is. She's been hurt bad and doesn't want to be hurt again. Don't take this wrong Catherine but you don't have the best track record when it comes to dating."

"Have you ever thought that maybe I was dating the wrong people, hell not only was I dating the wrong people I was dating the wrong sex. What aren't you surprised by any of this? Do you think Lindsey will have a problem?"

"Are you asking my opinion or are you just trying to convince yourself that it is ok to love another woman.?

"I don't know Mom. I'm not used to you being this accepting or understanding. I looked up this morning and saw you in the doorway and I'm still waiting for the real you to appear and tell me to get my shit together and leave that girl alone, she too young for me."

"Once again Cathy who are you trying to convince?" Lily looked up and saw tears in the eyes of her first born child and she moved to the side of her bed and took her in her arms.

"Mom I'm so worried that she is going to wake up and realize that she has made promises to a woman 10 years her senior, who has a daughter who may or may not approve of their relationship. What will I do if Lindsey can't accept it. It's one thing to like to have Sara help her and be able to email her but it's quite another to have her sleeping with her mom. I've never felt so vulnerable in my whole life. I've danced naked in front of men, I've stared down some of the dregs of society and none of them have scared me as much as the thought of Sara changing her mind about us."

"I didn't realize your feelings were that strong for her. Yes she is young, but there is nothing wrong with that. Worry about Lindsey when the time arises but I think you are short changing her, I think she may surprise you, after all she is your daughter."

"How come it takes me getting knocked silly for us to be able to talk like this?"

Lily settled in and made herself comfortable by Catherine's side, she still had her arms around her shoulders. "Cathy, yesterday you were in a coma. You could have easily died. It makes a mother take stock of what she has done in her life and I realized that I was never a good mother. I was hoping it wasn't too late to be there for you now. I may not have approved of how you made a living when you were younger and sometimes I think you spend too much time at work but you've been a good mother to Lindsey and she adores you. From the few times I've met Sara she seemed like a very intelligent woman who seems to know her mind. It appears that she likes you a lot too so why not just sit back and enjoy being in love."

Catherine lifted her head and looked at her mother then smiled. "Yeah I do love her and I think I would like to spend the rest of my life showing her in every way possible that she is loved and that she is worth it." Catherine lay her head in her mother's lap and fell asleep.

"Hello, I was called by Sara and she mentioned that she wanted to talk to me for a few minutes can you tell what room she is in?"

"Sure she'd in room 6 just tell the guard she called you and he'll let you in."

"Thank you." He turned and walked towards room 6. The guard looked up when he approached the room but didn't stop him. "Sara called me and said she wished to talk so I'm going to spend a few minutes with her. To give us the privacy this type of meeting deserves I'm going to shut the door."

"Sure Father go on in." The guard actually closed the door behind the priest himself.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm Back

Chapter 15

Sara was sleeping when he entered the room so he took the time to just watch her. She was even more beautiful when she was sleeping. He pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and decided he would just sit and watch her until she woke up. As much as he wanted to touch her he didn't because he was afraid it would wake her up. He wanted whatever time he could have with her.

Sara woke and immediately knew that she was not alone. She turned her head and looked into the eyes of her worst nightmare. Before she had a chance to scream she felt a hand clamp over her mouth and could feel his hot breath on her cheek. "Don't scream Sara I don't want to hurt you. I love you I would never hurt you. I had to hit you at the house because I know you would have done something to protect Catherine. She'll never love you like I can love you, no one will. You're mine and if I have to kill you to be with you forever than that is what I will do but I don't want to have to do that." She felt the blade of the knife at her throat and she knew that he was serious.

She turned her head so she could look into his eyes and what she saw there scared her more than the knife. His eyes were insane and she knew that he would kill her in a heartbeat rather than be without her. She also knew that she was going to have to get herself out of this one on her own. She felt the cut on her side and knew that she was probably going to undo the stitches that Jeanne had put in earlier that morning but there was nothing she could do about it. She felt the knife move away from her neck just enough to feel it would be safe to make a move. She bit down on his hand and sat up at the same time. She felt the pain in her neck and side but couldn't take the time to worry about it. She tried to scream but her had his arm around her neck and was cutting off her breathing. "I told you I would kill you and it looks like that's the way it's going to be, now do you want it quick with the knife or slow by me strangling you to death."

Sara was not about to die without a fight and she in her already weakened state this was one fight she may not win but he didn't know that. He pulled her off the bed onto the floor and was on top of her chest now using one hand on her throat while he had the knife in the other, she was starting to get light headed. She started kicking out with her feet hoping to make contact with something that would give her some leverage to be able to push out from under him. Instead she made contact with one of the machines and she kicked it into the wall and it crashed and tipped over.

"What the hell." The guard at the door heard the noise and opened the door and saw the two of them on the floor wrestling. He grabbed the man on top of Sara and threw him off of her up against the wall. The man swung his arm around and cut the officer down the cheek and escaped while the officer was screaming and holding his face. He ran down the hallway before anyone was able to catch him.

The commotion in the hallway woke Catherine she sat up too quickly and had to fall back on the bed. "Mom go check and make sure Sara's ok. That had to have been her stalker. Quick go check and come back and let me know if she's ok. Hurry!" Lily left the room only to be pushed back by other guard who had come around the corner at the noise.

"Stay in there until we have everything under control."

"Mom what the hell is going on? Why can't we leave the room? I need to know if Sara is ok." Catherine lay there with a worried look on her face.

Lily sat down on the bed next to her daughter and held her as she cried and felt helpless as there was nothing she could do to ally her fears. The commotion continued outside her room and about half an hour later Catherine was able to hear Brass' voice outside her door and he was angry. "What part of this list did you not understand? The names on this list were the only people that were to be allowed in her room. Now because of you she's back in surgery and guess what? You're back on the street on a walking beat and I will make sure that it will be at high noon when it is hotter than Hades. By the time you are done you will pray that you never met me. Now get out of here." Jim opened Catherine's door and wasn't surprised by the worried look on Catherine's face.

"Why is Sara back in surgery? What happened? He came back didn't he? How the hell did he get in the room?"

"As I'm guessing you may have heard the officer that was on duty let him in. He says he was dressed as a priest and had told him that Sara had asked for him. He didn't think anything of it."

Catherine saw the worried look on his face and that worried her even more. "That still doesn't explain why Sara is back in surgery. Come on Jim what aren't you telling me?"

"He was choking her and she was able to kick some equipment over and it alerted the guard outside the door. When he went in the man was sitting on Sara's chest choking her and when

he saw the guard he cut Sara's throat and right now they are fighting to save her." He walked around to the other side of Catherine's bed sat down in the chair and took her hand. "It not as bad as it sounds."

"How can someone cutting her throat not be as bad as it sounds Jim?"

"He nicked the artery but it wasn't severed and the rest of the cut was pretty bad." He hung his head down and took a deep breath. "When I got here they already had her in surgery so if something like this is going to happen an ICU ward is the best place for it to happen. But it shouldn't have happened. This is my fault, I put a seasoned officer on but he made a rookie mistake that could have cost Sara her life. And her stalker it getting more and more daring or more and more stupid."

"She's a fighter Jim she'll be fine. Let's not let the guys know about this quite yet, especially Grissom. We don't need any more histrionics. Can I talk to Jeanne or whoever is on right now?"

"Sure let me go get her." He stood up and kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the room.

"Damn how much more can she take? Her body can't too much more trauma. And that asshole is still out there. I hate not being able to do anything to help find this guy but it's even worse not

being able to do anything to protect her." Catherine looked up as Jeanne walked into the room.

"Well you two sure have kept things hoping around here." The grin on her face helped Catherine relax a little more. "I Think you can relax, barring any unforeseen circumstances in the operating room she should be back in her room shortly. She's going to have a few new scars to add to her old ones but she should survive."

"What do you mean about her old scars, how many scars does she have?"

Jeanne realized she may have said something she shouldn't have said. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything about that and I think I should shut my mouth now. You'll have to ask her about them ok? But I really do think she'll be ok. He nicked the artery and there was quite a bit of bleeding but hey should be able to stitch that up a she should be none the worse for wear. Oh and her side split open again."

Catherine actually laughed at that. "Her side is never going to heal if she keeps splitting it open like she's been doing. Are you sure she'll be ok?" Jeanne saw the real worry and concern on her face and nodded her head. "Can I get out of this bed so that I can be sitting by her bed when she wakes up from surgery?"

"I think that can be arranged. Let me go check to see where things are with the surgery so we can get you ready ok?" She turned and left the room.

"She was right about the two of you livening things up around here. I bet they are used to things being quiet in ICU and then patients not giving them mush to worry about. Between you having a heart attack and Sara being attacked you've been keeping the staff hopping."

"Do you think I'd don't know that Mom? I'm hoping that things will quiet down once we nail the son of a bitch responsible for all of this. I may have Lindsey move in with you until we solve this one. I don't want to give this guy anything else to use against either one of us. You what I just remembered? I still haven't been able to see what my hair looks like."

Lily actually winced. "I was hoping you have forgotten about that."

"Come on how bad can it be? Can you brush it for me?" She asked Lily as she was handed a small mirror. "What the hell. What did they do shave the whole side of my head? And Sra saw me looking like this?"

Ah, there's the vain sister I know and love. And yes she did see you like that and she didn't run the other way. Must be love." Nancy bent down to kiss Catherine's forehead and then gave her mother a hug.

"Who's with Lindsey? Mom I have to do something with my hair before Sara gets out of surgery."

"Whoa back up, why is Sara back in surgery and why didn't anyone call me?"

"Nancy where's Lindsey?"

"She and Jeremy are over Jonathan's house. You know how the two of them love to go over there. He and Mike got a new puppy and the kids love it. Now tell me why Sara is back in surgery." Catherine and Lily filled her in as to the goings on in the ICU since she left . "How long since you got an update? Maybe I'll go check."

"Sit down and brush your sister hair she wants to look good for Sara when she wake up. Jeanne just left here to get an update and will be back soon." Nancy sat down and helped Catherine to sit up so she could brush her hair.

"How are Mike and Jonathan and what kind of a puppy did they get?"

"They're doing great, Mike just got home from his shift and is on call in case a fire breaks out but most of the time the on call fire fighters are never called in. Jonathan just finished the last painting for his show next week at the L.V. Art Museum. This is why he said he would take care of the kids he didn't have to work today. He said he'd watch them for as long as we needed him to. He also said it was about time you and Sara got together, he and Jonathan were about ready to lock the two of you in the proverbial closet until you finally asked her out. They bought the cutest little Shih Tzu puppy and the kids adore him." She was gently brushing Catherine's hair so as not to hurt her. "You know we can brush your hair over most of this. Now I can kid you about having a comb over."

Catherine reached back and slapped Nancy's hand. "I'm not that much older than you so you better watch out you're next. Hey Mom, you ok?"

Lily looked up at Catherine. "What?"

"You were staring off into space and there was a strange look on your face. You ok?"

"I've never been this close to the reality of your job. I always knew it was dangerous but I didn't realize how bad it can be." She held up her hand when she saw that Catherine was getting ready to protest. "Don't say anything. You've had some run ins with these creeps but I don't think there has ever been anything this close to home. My family is being threatened and the guy is still out there. I want to kill him for threatening you and it has made me realize how important your job is because once this asshole is caught it will be your office that puts together the evidence to put him away for a very long time, maybe forever. I was always proud of you for going back to college to make something of yourself and now I'm sure you made the right decision,"

"I don't know what to say Mom, thank you. It is safe to say that you are ok with Sara and I? I kind of thought so from your reaction this morning."

"Yes dear I am ok with you and Sara being together. She obviously care a great deal for you. From what you've told me she was willing to sacrifice herself for you, how could I not be ok with it?" They all looked to the door as it opened and Jeanne walked through.

"Let me remove that tube. The draining is done and then you can cover it before you see Sara. She's doing remarkably well considering what her body has been through the past 24 hours. You are going to have to behave and she will be pretty doped up for awhile." Catherine sat still for her to remove the tube and wince at the slight pain but it was worth it.

"That's ok now I can get back at her for her making fun of me. Do I look ok? I feel like a teenager, I'm too old to be feeling like this. Can you bring Lindsey by later Nance?"

"You're never too old to feel like a teenager. I'll bring Lindsey by in a couple of hours now go sit with your girlfriend." Catherine sat in the wheel chair and looked up at Nancy with a silly grin on her face. "Cathy has a girlfriend, Cathy has a girlfriend." Catherine had to laugh at the childish chant from her sister.

"Thanks sis. And thank you for being here Mom."

"Now do as your sister says and go sit with your girlfriend." She leaned down and kissed Catherine on the head. "As long as you are going to be otherwise occupied I think I will head out with Nancy ok? I'll be back later."


	16. Chapter 16

I'm Back

Chapter 16

Catherine sat by Sara's bed and held her hand and couldn't believe how much she had come to mean to her in such a short time. She always knew that she liked her and maybe even loved her but now that she knew the feelings were returned she has fallen head over heels in love with her. The only obstacle left is Lindsey. She doesn't have a problem with Mike and Jonathan but it's not the same as having your mother in love with another woman. She looked up at Sara and she didn't know what she would do if Lindsey couldn't accept things as they are. "Baby, we have to stop meeting like this. Let's put this whole thing behind us and run away and settle down in a little cottage somewhere with a white picket fence. Maybe we can move to California and buy a place on the beach and become bums." She looked into the face of the woman lying on the bed, a new bandage wrapped around her neck and there were bruises where his fingers had wrapped around her neck. There were also new bruises on her face and Catherine felt an anger so fierce it scared her. "If I ever get my hands on this asshole I will kill with my bare hands just like he tried to kill you." She took a deep breath before she continued speaking. "God do you have any idea how beautiful you are? I don't think you do and I don't think you have any idea what you do to me. I tell you what, that first day when you stuck your head in that lab you took my breath away. And that gap in your teeth is so adorable. I know you don't like it but I love it, it gives you a childlike quality when you smile. And that smile, you don't smile very often, I plan to change that by the way, but when you do smile it makes my knees go weak."

She pulled the chair closer to the bed and looked down at their joined hands and with her thumb she was softly stroking Sara's hand. "Do you have any idea how hard it has been for me to not say anything to you. I think one of the reasons I always fought with you was because it kept you at arm's length and it was easier for me to keep my heart from breaking. But god you are so sexy when you're yelling at me. During a few of our fights I had to leave because all I wanted to do is throw you up against the wall and kiss you until you could think straight. All that attention directed at me with those chocolate brown eyes smoldering, they would turn a shade darker than normal, I could imagine them looking like that during some hot and heavy make out session. I wanted to throw you across the nearest flat surface and take you right there."

"Cat stop. I can't take anymore." Came the quiet whisper from the bed.

Catherine's head snapped up to see Sara smiling down at her. "How long have you been awake?"

Sara's voice was barely above a whisper. "Long enough to know that if I'd let you go on much longer I would have pulled you up on this bed and let you have your way with me right here and now." She started to cough and winced in pain and she couldn't stop coughing.

"Do you need the nurse? Are you ok? What can I do? Sara baby can I help?" Sara just shook her head but continued coughing. When she still couldn't stop she pointed to the door and Catherine opened it and yelled. "Help! She can't stop coughing and she's in pain. Help!" The nearest nurse ran by her and helped Sara slowly sit up. She held her and slowly until Sara was able to take a breath and the coughing subsided. "What brought that on?" Catherine asked from behind the nurse.

"They had to intubate her during the surgery and sometimes there are some after effects from that. Sara try to drink this." She handed her a small glass of water and Sara tried to gulp it down. "No don't gulp just sip it or you'll be coughing again. There you go. Feel better?"

"Yes. Thanks." Her voice was still just a whisper. "Why did they have to intubate me?"

"There were some problems during the surgery and your breathing became very labored and you weren't getting enough oxygen so they felt it was the only option. You can ask the doctor more questions when he comes around later. How are you doing?"

"I think I'll be ok now. Thank you very much." He voice still wasn't more than a whisper. "Do you know when my voice will come back?"

"Be patient and give it time. Maybe in a few hours it will be ok. It will come back faster if you rest it and try not to talk."

"I'll make sure she rests it. If she starts coughing again is it best to just help her sit up like you did?"

"That should do it and give her sips of water." She turned to leave and shut the door as she left.

"So what do you want to talk about? Oops you can't talk. So how are the drugs? They said they'd have you on some good stuff for a little while." Sara gave her thumbs up sign. "So what was I talking about before you so rudely interrupted me by waking up, oh yeah throwing you down on the table."

"So not fair Cat."

"No talking. You have to just lay there and listen. Now where was I? Oh yeah what I wanted to do to you." She looked up at Sara and had to laugh at the look of pure frustration her face. "So is the frustration due to the subject matter or the fact that you can't talk? If you feel anything like I feel it's due to the subject matter." Sara nodded her head but then laid her head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Are you ok?" Catherine saw the tear slowly fall and run down Sara's cheek. "Oh sweetie I'm sorry I was picking on you, I didn't mean to make you cry." Sara shook her head vigorously until she realized it hurt her neck and she winced. "Baby, don't move anymore." Catherine carefully lowered the railing on the bed and climbed onto the bed next to Sara and took her in her arms. "My turn to return the favor. Just rest. Let me be strong for you." She felt Sara stiffen just the smallest amount but she didn't let go of her. "I know you are an extremely independent woman and from what little you've revealed about yourself I know you find it very hard to lean on someone. But let me do this baby. If not for you then for me. I need to hold you, I need to feel you next to me to know that you really are ok." She felt Sara's head nod against her chest. "Now go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up." She lay down and rested Sara's head on her shoulder and held her as she had been held by Sara earlier. She felt Sara's breathing even out and she thought she may have fallen asleep so kissed the top of her head and whispered. "I love you, rest sweetie."

"Love you." Came the whispered reply from somewhere near her ear and she felt the gentle kiss on her neck. She couldn't get mad at her for talking when those were the words spoken. She rested their entwined hands over her heart and fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

I'm Back

"What the hell do I have to do to have her love me? She fights me at every turn. Why can't she see that all I want to do is make her happy? It must be that bitch Catherine. I guess I will have to remove her from the picture and then Sara will only see me. I think that I will have to wait until they are out of the hospital and make my move then. Now I have to think of how to approach my Sara to win her over. I think that I will have to go back to the hands off approach like I did in California and win her over with my gifts." He took one more look at his wall before he left the room.

"Ok the guy's finger prints aren't in any database so either he has never been arrested before or he is a covert operator so deep under cover and the FBI has removed him from any database."

"Yes Greg he is a deep undercover covert FBI agent who is madly in love with Sara and he will stop at nothing to have her. I think that the first option is more likely. He is probably someone Sara helped in the past on one of her cases in California and he fell in love with her,"

"That's it Nick! That's how we can find him. We can contact the office in California and find out when he started stalking her and ask for the files on those cases and see if there was a family member or someone who became overly friendly with Sara." Warrick took off before Greg or Nick could say anything.

"Have any idea where he's going Nick?"

"No but if we hurry we may be able to catch up with him." Both he and Greg took off in the same direction and caught up with him as he was standing outside Grissom's office. "Oh no not that! Not talking to Grissom, anything but that. I stop at entering that office."

"Shhh Greg he'll hear you. Maybe he already saw Warrick but you and I are out of his field of vision so we can still get away unscathed."

"All of you get in here right now!"

"Ah shit it's too late and from the sound of his voice his mood has not improved since yesterday." Nick pushed Greg ahead of him into Grissom's office.

"What do you three want and why aren't till in the lab you going through the stuff from the trailer?" When no one immediately spoke up he looked up expectantly. "Is someone going to say something?"

"Uh Gris we thought that maybe this guy was somehow connected to one of Sara's cases in California. We thought we could contact her old office and get copies of her old cases and go through them. We're not finding anything here, we have to do something we can't just sit around waiting for him to hit again."

"Too late for that." They all turned towards the door and saw Brass standing there. "He got to Sara at the hospital." Grissom stood and came around to the front of his desk and Brass stopped him as he started through the door. "She's going to be fine. I just talked to Nancy and Sara just came out of surgery and she'll be fine."

"How the hell did he manage to get close enough to do more damage? Enough damage to need more surgery? What kind of officers did you put on her room? Even a rookie should be able to protect one person?" Grissom was livid and he didn't even see the warning look that Brass gave him. "It was bad enough when you were running this office that you were so incompetent that they relieved you of those duties but now you can't even protect one person."

"Ok Gil I think you've gone too far this time. Let me clear up a few things. First, I am a very competent police officer, I would not have made Captain if I weren't. Second, you seem to keep forgetting that your best friend, or at least she was yesterday, is in just as much danger if not more. You seem to think that she is a threat to your nonexistent relationship with Sara. Stop and think a minute if you think that way and want to kill her as your attitude since yesterday has implied, then think what this guy wants to do to her. He will not hesitate to kill her. She has already taken Sara physically from him and now emotionally too. Now get your head out of your ass and do your job and let me do mine." Gil opened his mouth to speak and Brass held up his hand. "If you are going to spew more crap then save it for someone who cares. I have two women that I love to take care of and I will do it if I have to knock down the wall between their rooms and sit there myself. Good bye Gil." He turned and headed towards the door and gave the other three stunned men a wink.

Gil walked back behind his desk and mentally shook himself before he looked up at the three men. "Don't you have something to do?"

"Uh what about our idea?" Warrick asked somewhat warily.

"What idea?" Gil gave them a look that said he had no idea what they were talking about.

Warrick sighed in frustration, Gil was starting to get on his nerves. Brass was right about him needing to get his head out of his ass. "Were you even listening to anything we said when we walked in here? Don't answer that, it's apparent that you weren't." Warrick let the frustration come through in his voice. "We thought that maybe this guy could be connected to one of Sara's cases in California and we wanted to request copies of her files just prior to when this stalker showed up."

"They already did that there. She told her supervisor once she realized this guy was stalking her. They spent weeks trying to pin it down but they never did. So it would be a waste of time. Time better spent trying to find something on this end. So get back to doing it ok?" He went back to the papers on his desk but when none of them moved he looked up again. "What?"

"His finger prints are not in the data base and so far that is all we've been able to find in the pile of trash that Ecklie left us with. If like you said we need to do something, we think this is what we need to do."

"I can spare one of you to do it, Greg you need to get back to the lab. Warrick you can decide if you want to work this 419 or hand it to Nick and work Sara's case."

"You mean Sara and Catherine's case. Because this is no longer just Sara's case. Whether you like it or not it involves both of them."

"Warrick you have seniority so deal with it." Grissom went back to his work again and the three men left the room. Grissom removed his glasses and rubbed his forehead. He felt the beginning of a headache coming on. "What am I going to do to show Sara that we belong together? She can't love Catherine and Catherine will only hurt her. And Sara will not like having Lindsey around all the time, she has problems with children. I can't give up without a fight." He reached into his desk drawer and took out the bottle of aspirin and took three pills and washed them down then went back to his paperwork.

"Man I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep from cheering when Brass finished with Gris. Maybe now he will get his head out of his ass and join the land of the living again." Greg was bouncing on the balls of his feet walking backwards down the hallway and talking to Nick and Warrick. "And Warrick how crazy were you to actually question his decision to not check California. But can you believe Brass?"

"Someone had to do it and Grissom was way out of line questioning Jim's abilities as a cop. He's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's a good cop. This case means way too much to him to not give it his best. This just proves how beyond crazy Sara's stalker is and Brass is right that Catherine is in more danger than Sara. He wants Sara alive and if he knows how Catherine feels about her he will want her out of the way. He wants Sara all to himself. Hey maybe we should tell him that Grissom likes her too."

"Oooh Nicky boy that's so not nice, but I like the idea at the Moment and if Grissom doesn't get his act together I may throw him to the dogs myself. Well boys, as much as I would like to show you how to solve this case I must return to my lab. Hopefully Wendy hasn't changed things around since I've been gone."

"Greg it's only been a couple of hours."

"Yeah Warrick but like most women she wants to put her own touch on things and claim it as her own."

"Man do not let Catherine or Sara hear you talking like that or they will show you how they can arrange things and it will be your face not your lab."

"Ok boys, see ya after shift. Ya want to head by the hospital then go have breakfast?"

"Sure, see ya then. Now Nicky, want to call it? Heads you take the 419 tales I go. Call it." He tossed the coin in the air and waited for it to drop.


	18. Chapter 18

I'm Back

"Hey you. How are you feeling, do you need anything?"

"A kiss would nice." Came the whisper from beside her. "And some water."

Catherine turned to the woman lying beside her and their lips met. The kiss was gentle and loving and to Catherine it felt like a homecoming. This felt so right that it was almost scary. How could it be that in such a short amount of time she and Sara could become so close. What scared her the most was what will happen once they leave the hospital? She knew that her feelings wouldn't change but what about Sara? Would she realize that it was the experience that was making her feel this way? Would the age difference make her think twice about having a relationship with me? And will Lindsey accept their being together? "Stop thinking."

"What?"

"I can tell that your mind is churning and from the look on your face it's not thinking happy thoughts. Want to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure you want to know."

"Come on Catherine you're starting to scare me."

"I want you to know that I love you very much and that is not going to change no matter what happens."

"I love you too and I'm not going anywhere."

"Sara, I'm 10 years older than you. Shhh." "She laid her finger on Sara's lips when she tried to protest. "Let me get all of this out before you protest"

Sara kissed her finger and pulled it inside her mouth and gently sucked on it. "And stop that, I can't think while you do that."

"Good to know, I'll remember that for later when I want total control of your body."

"You just have to look at me with those big brown eyes to have total control of my body sweetie. Now do you want to know what I was thinking or do you want to continue this line of conversation? I like where this is going better than where we going before." Catherine brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed Sara's fingers one by one.

"As much as I like this conversation or lack thereof and against my better judgment I really want to know what has you so pensive."

"Spoil sport. Ok what I was thinking about was whether things will change once we get out of here," she gestured around the hospital room. "Are your feelings going to change once we leave here? Is it the Moment that is making you feel this way? I'm 10 years older than you, there are younger better looking women out there that might be better for you. What will we do if Lindsey isn't ok with us being in a relationship?" There were tears rolling down her cheeks by the time she was done talking and Sara carefully rolled over so she could kiss the tears away.

"Can I talk now?" Catherine could only nod because she was still overwhelmed by the feelings Sara's gesture of kissing the tears away had evoked in her. No one had ever done something so loving and it brought more tears to her eyes and she couldn't stop them from flowing. "What? I haven't even said anything. Why are you crying? Baby are you ok?"

"I love you. That's all I can say right now. You can talk now."

"Ok. I love you too and it's not because of the situation. I loved you before this happened and I'll love you after we catch this asshole. It's not something I can turn off and even if I could I wouldn't want to. I like the way I feel when I hold you like this, I feel content and that is not a feeling I've had much experience with, but I like it. Yes there are younger woman out there but none has caught my eye since I met you. Ok they caught my eye but there's no comparison. You are the sexist 40 something woman I have ever met. Your body has fueled many a fantasy over the past year." At Catherine's incredulous look she kissed her very quickly. "Your idea of throwing me up against the wall and kissing me stupid is nothing compared to some of the things I've wanted to do to you in my fantasies. And my dreams, don't get me started on those, they make my fantasies seem tame. So age is not a problem. Now about Lindsey, I know she likes me and I know that's not that same as liking me as her mother's girlfriend. We'll just have to wait and see what happens when we tell her. Ok? Never forget that I love you and I will be there in whatever capacity I can."

"Mommy can I come up there with you and Sara?" They both turned to the door and tried to pull apart as much as the bed would allow and both winced from the pain the movement caused.

"Hang on a minute baby let me get back in my chair and you can sit in my lap."

"But I want to lie next to Sara too Mommy." Catherine looked up to her mother who stood in the doorway..

"Mom what were you thinking? You knew there was a chance you would find us like this so why didn't you check before you let Lindsey in?" Both Catherine and her mother looked to the bed as Lindsey had taken Catherine's place next to Sara. Sara looked frightened at first then she lay back as Lindsey gently laid down next to her.

"Sara why do you have a big band aid on your neck? Do you have a boo boo? That's what Mommy calls them when I get hurt. Does it hurt? Mommy and I will take care of you. You can come to our house so it will be easier to take care of you. Mommy has a real big bed, not little like this one, and all three of us can fit in it. I have my own room but the bed is too little for you and your long legs." She giggled a little. "Your legs would probably hang all the way to the floor when you laid down in it. We'll have to try it I want to see if they touch the floor." She turned back to the door. "Mommy can we try that, don't you think it would be funny if Sara had to sleep in my bed?" Catherine had to laugh at the look on Sara's face.

"Honey slow down, I think you are overwhelming Sara?"

"What does that mean?"

Sara spoke before Catherine could say anything. "Too many questions too fast?" Sara put her arm around Lindsey and pulled her closer to her. "Now let's start over with the questions and go one by one ok?"

Lindsey giggled again. "Ok one by one, I can do that. Are you Mommy's girlfriend?"

Sara choked on what she was about to say because it wasn't the question she was expecting. "Why would you think that?"

"Jonathan says he and Mike can sleep together because Mike is his boyfriend. Jenny's two Mom's probably sleep together too. So are you going to be my Mommy too? My Daddy doesn't live with us anymore so you can be my other Mommy." Sara reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Are you sad?" Lindsey carefully went to her knees and reached up to wipe a tear from Sara's cheek and kissed her cheek. "That's what Mommy does for me when I'm sad. She kisses it better. Is it better Sara?"

Sara took Lindsey in her arms and hugged her. "Yeah Munchkin it's all better."

"So will you come to my house, cuz sometimes it's hard for me to email, if you were at my house I wouldn't have to email, I could just come find you to talk to you."

"We'll see what happens sweetie. I might be able to go back to my apartment when they release me from the hospital." "She saw Lindsey's pout and hurried on. "But I will visit a lot now that I know it's hard for you to email." Lindsey brightened at that. Sara looked to both Catherine and Lily. "I think I know where she learned that last trick." Catherine gave her an overly innocent look.

"Can we take her home Mommy please please please?"

"She's not a puppy Lindsey. You sound like you did when we were looking at puppies at the humane society the other day. And as to your question I guess we will leave it up to Sara as to whether she wants to come home with us or not." She turned to Sara with the same hopeful look that she knew Lindsey had on her face.

Sara turned to Lily. "Is there a secret to fighting them when they are like this?"

"Nope it's best to give in right away, it only gets worse. Next you'll have them hugging and kissing you and begging. But in that case you may not want to give in right away, you look like you might need the hugging and kissing and you'd probably enjoy it too." Lily had to laugh at the expression on Sara's face. She saw the love in the young woman's eyes and knew that her daughter and granddaughter were in good hands. "If you'll excuse me ladies I think that I will go look for a good cup of coffee.

"Oh I would kill for a cup of coffee. Make it two, one with two sugars, the other will a little cream and three sugars, Sara likes hers sweet." Lily left and Sara looked at Catherine with a questioning glance. "What I watched you when you made it in the break room." Sara smiled sheepishly. "You know how I like mine too don't you?"

Sara nodded. "I'm just surprised you know how I like mine."

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Actually I find this whole thing kind of hard to believe. I except to wake up and find this had been a dream." She looked down and saw that Lindsey had fallen asleep.

"Why is that?" Catherine felt her heart melt all over again at the sight of Lindsey asleep on Sara's shoulder.

"It's just that you are this gorgeous sexy woman who could have any man or woman she chose and you choose geeky me. What do I have to offer you? I'm not even pretty."

Catherine found herself getting mad at whoever had done this to this wonderful beautiful person. She walked up to the side of the bed and took Sara's face in her hands. "Look at you, you're lying in a hospital bed with bandages all over your body and holding my daughter in a protective hug and a little while ago you kissed her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. You are the most beautiful person in the world to me and if I ever meet the person you told you otherwise I will slap them silly." This brought a smile to Sara's lips but it immediately turned to a frown when she thought of her parents.

"I'm not sure I can do this Cat."

"What do you mean by 'this'?"

"I might not be safe with you and Lindsey, maybe we shouldn't start anything."

"What the hell are you talking about, don't you think it's a little late to be saying that? I think we already started something. And if I thought you were unsafe I sure as hell wouldn't be here and she sure as hell would not be there." She pointed to Lindsey as she said the last part. She turned to the door when she heard her mother return. "Mom can you take Lindsey for a walk, I think Sara and I need to have a talk. Leave the coffee I think we both need it."

"Ok but don't mess this one up Catherine." She picked up the sleeping Lindsey and left the room.

Catherine handed Sara her coffee and raised the head of the bed so she could drink it. "Now would you mind telling me what this is all about?" She went over to where Lindsey had been lying and lay down next to Sara and took her hand in hers.

"I'm not sure I can tell you right now."

"Sara, you can't make a statement like that and expect me to blindly accept it. I don't care if you were brought up on a pig farm, I love you and nothing you say will ever change that."

"That's what the others said too. But when I told them about my past they couldn't get out of my life fast enough."

"I'm not going anywhere, so we might as well get it over with." They finished their coffee and Catherine pulled Sara to her and tucked her head under her chin and kissed the top of her head and waited.

She felt Sara take a deep breath and listened as the words began to pour out. "My father used to love to get drunk, he would come home and blame my Mom and me for everything wrong in the world. At first it was just verbal abuse, he told me how ugly and worthless I was and that I would never amount to anything. Things got worse and we lost the bed and breakfast my parent ran cuz dear old dad was drinking up the profits. Then he just stayed home and was drunk all the time and the verbal abuse got physical and he would beat the hell out of my Mom and me. When I got a bit older he decided he would be the one to teach me how a woman should behave for her man, at least that's the excuse he used to rape me every night. That also pissed my Mom off because I was getting dad's attention so she would beat me too. This went on for more years than I care to remember. Then one night, I guess my Mom just snapped she went into the kitchen and got a knife and stabbed him over and over and over again. I can still remember the smell of the blood, and I recall that night every time I smell blood. Then when it came time for the trial she got really angry because I told the story just as it happened. She got mad because I wouldn't lie for her. I couldn't understand why she got mad because all my life I would get beaten if I lied and now she was mad because I didn't lie. As a kid I just didn't understand. This was before the battered wife syndrome so she got life in prison and I went into foster care. And as you know that's no bed of roses either. I was the girl whose Mom killed her dad and I didn't stay at any one home very long. They said I created problems within the household. I never did anything, it was the other kids who lied and told the foster parents I did something that I didn't do. I knew protesting was futile so I said nothing. When I was old enough I left the system, headed out east and I put myself through college and here I am." All of this was said in a monotone voice, no emotion at all. That worried Catherine. Sara was afraid to look up, she didn't want to see the pity that she knew would be there. She gathered her courage and looked up and was surprised to see tears flowing freely down Catherine's cheeks.

Catherine saw the look on Sara's face and all she could do is pull her to her in a tight hug. "Sweetie anyone who would run from you is a worthless piece of shit and I'm glad they did because it's what brought you to me. I can't help but love you even more because to come through all of that and still be the wonderful woman you have become could not have been easy. And you didn't put yourself through just any college you put yourself through Harvard and I am so proud of you for that. I guess this would explain why you freak out during domestic abuse cases, and I don't blame you. It's the same for me and cases involving kids, I see Lindsey lying there. I'm so sorry that I have made matters worse with our arguments but as I already mentioned it was my only way to protect my heart."

"And I'm so damn sexy when we fight." Sara looked up at Catherine and smiled a childlike smile then laid her head back down.

"There's that too. I love that smile, you should do it more often. I do not think you are like your parents. You've taken that experience and you've used it to your advantage on the job. Yes you may drink a bit too much but if like you said it was because I was going out with those creeps, you won't be needing to do that anymore will ya?" Sara shook her head. "Didn't think so. And it looks like Lindsey is ok with this, although I think we will still need to sit down with her and explain things a bit more. So will you come home with me when they release us so I can take care of you? Don't you go all stiff on me." She said when she felt Sara stiffen. "You need to be taken care of for a little while and I want to be the one to do it so deal with it."

"Feisty I like that. Cat just give me time to get used to being taken care of ok? As you can tell it's not something I've had much of in my life and I am so used to doing the care taking. But I guess I can go to your house for a little while and see if we can get along." Catherine playfully punched her on the shoulder. "Ouch, if you're going to keep punching me I may rethink going home with you." She said it playfully and Catherine knew she hadn't really hurt her. "So you think we should tell your Mom it's ok to come back in?"

"I suppose, let me go get her." Catherine leaned down and kissed Sara and what started out as a quick kiss quickly turned into a struggle for dominance between tongues. They came up for air but not for long, Sara pulled her back for more and things were heating up quickly.

"See grandma I told you we could go in. They're making up, that's what grownups do after they fight they kiss and make up. Are you all made up now. Is Sara coming to our house when she's all better?"

"Yes she is sweetie. You and I can take care of her for as long as she wants us to ok?" Catherine got off the bed and sat down in the wheel chair and Lindsey sat on her lap.

"Maybe if we take good care of her she'll never want to leave, cuz I know I don't want her to ever leave."

"Hey kiddo, you may not like having me around all the time. You may get sick and tired of me after awhile and tell me to go home."

"We'll see but I don't think that will ever happen. Just think of all the games we can play, the movie we can watch and maybe Mommy will let me stay up late because you are there."

"Think again kiddo, that's not going to happen."

Lindsey turned to Sara and looked up at her with the same blue eyes that drew her to Catherine. "Sara can you talk to her and make it happen?" Catherine waited to see what Sara would say.

"Sorry Lindsey, if your Mom says it's not going to happen then I will have to back her up and say no." Catherine let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and glanced up at her mother who just winked at her. "I don't think you should come to me if your Mom has already said no and you know why?" Lindsey shook her head. "Because I will go to her anyway and if I found out she already gave you and answer I might get mad. Your Mom is in charge, I'm just visiting, and her word is the last word."

"Ah you're no fun." She pouted up at Sara.

Sara gave Catherine a worried look, she didn't want Lindsey mad at her. "Lindsey Willows stop that right now. Sara isn't used to this, she thinks you're serious and now she's worried she said something wrong."

Lindsey looked up at Sara and saw she really was worried and her face broke out in a huge grin. "I'm not mad at you Sara. I'm sorry."

"Lily you are going to have to instruct me as to when they are serious and when they aren't."

"Hey I can't help you because there are times when I'm not sure myself."

"Oh really?"

"Catherine behave yourself. If you really want this poor girl to stick around you better give her a chance to learn the difference or she will be running the other way before you know it. That goes for you too Lindsey."

Both Lindsey and Catherine lowered their heads knowing that Lily was right. "God they're like bookends. Look at that, how the hell, I mean heck am I supposed to withstand two of them? She's a mini Catherine." Both looked up at the same time, Lindsey with a look that said she had no idea what she was talking about and Catherine with the look of a woman who knew exactly what she was talking about. "Catherine Willows you're enjoying this aren't you?"

"You bet I am." She saw the look on Sara's face and decided she would behave. "Sorry sweetie. Lindsey I guess we better behave or Sara won't want to stay at our house ok? I want her to stay as much as you do so let's be nice."

"Ok Mommy I want her to stay so I'll be nice." Sara watched the two of them and if it was possible she fell even deeper in love than before. Except now it was with both of them she was in deep and she loved it. For the first time in her life she felt she was in a good place. She looked Catherine in the eyes and smiled a secret smile that told Catherine how she was feeling and Catherin smiled back. Sara couldn't hold back a yawn and Catherine saw it. She whispered in Lindsey ear and Lindsey smiled back. Lindsey got up off of Catherine's lap and walked round to the other side of the bed and carefully climbed up next to Sara and whispered in her ear. "Good night Sara, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. See you tomorrow." She then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "That's how my Mommy puts me to bed. Now I just put you to bed." She kissed her again and hopped down from the bed and went back to her mother. "Did I do that right Mommy?"

"Just like I would have honey. Now let's leave so she can get some sleep." She stood up and walked over to the bed and gave Sara a quick kiss on the lips.

Sara whispered, "Is that really how you're going to put me to bed when we get out of here? I hope not."

"Hey if I have to be nice you should too. I'll be back in a little while."

"Take your time I think they have these drugs on a timer or something because all of the sudden I can't stay awake. Spend some time with your family I'll see you later." Her voice was starting to slur a little bit. "Love you."

Catherine leaned down and kissed her once more. "I love you too. See you soon." She sat down in the chair and allowed her mother to wheel her out of the room and back into her own. As she got back into her own bed Julie came into the room.

"Seems you two have kept my staff on their toes today. Well it looks like you'll be moved to a private room together. Captain Brass seemed to think it would be easier to keep an eye on you that way. He also said something under his breath about teaching Grissom a lesson, I don't think I want to know about that. So this afternoon you will be moved upstairs and maybe then this ICU will return to normal. Although I will hate to see the two of you go it will be nice and quiet once you leave. I'll be in to talk to check on you later."


	19. Chapter 19

I'm Back

Later that day they moved Catherine and Sara to a semi-private room that would enable them to share a room. Julie went with them because in a short amount of time these two women had grown on her. As she was getting ready to leave the room she looked at both of them and laughed. "You two were made for each other. You probably won't have to stay in the hospital much longer but I'm sure you will manage to make life interesting for the staff here too."

"Hey I didn't ask this guy to try to kill me in your ICU. By the way, Brass told me what you did to alert him and I want to thank you. You took a risk, it paid off but it was a risk none the less and thank you. It probably saved our lives."

"Just make sure I don't have to do it again. What you guys do is too nerve wracking, I prefer the sedate atmosphere of the ICU where all we deal with are life and death emergencies like Catherine and her heart attack. Those situations I can deal with, you can keep the knife wielding maniacs to yourself thank you. You two take care of yourselves and each other. I hope the next time I see either of you it is because you are here in a work capacity. Take care."

"See ya Julie.

Soon after she left another nurse walked in. "My name is Susan and I am the nurse in charge of the day shift and I had a very interesting conversation with Julie and she mentioned heart attacks, knife wielding maniacs dressed as a priest and a cop. What's next a fireman?

"If one does show up, don't let him in." Sara replied in a slightly slurred voice.

"So which one of you is he after?"

"At this point I think we pissed him off enough so that he wants both of us. Me because I can identify him and Sara because…well because he thinks he's her soul mate. He's getting sloppy but he's also getting desperate." As she said this Captain Brass walked in the room. "Jim this is Susan she's the nurse in charge, Susan this is Captain Jim Brass and he's taken it upon himself to personally make sure this guy is caught and brought to justice."

"Ah just the woman I needed to see. Here are some pictures I want you and your staff to keep. Those are the only guards that will be on and they know who will be allowed to visit. Sara does not have any brothers, or sisters." He turned to Sara and saw she was smiling, he knew some of her background but not all. "So Sara are there any aunt, uncles old grannies or any other relatives that might come out of the woodwork to visit you after all these years?" She laughed and shook her head. Brass turned back to Susan. "So if anyone comes here claiming to be family, call me immediately and try to keep them here. She has not requested a priest, rabbi, monk, nun, shaman, faith healer or a medicine man." He turned to Catherine and Sara who sat with huge grins on their faces. "Did I miss anybody?" The both shook their heads. "Clear any hospital personnel to make sure they really work here. This guy is tricky. If he's smart he will have given up on getting them here at the hospital but so far he hasn't shown that he's particularly intelligent. The girls have managed to thwart this guy at every turn. I like that word thwart." he turned and smiled at Sara and Catherine.

"Jim you seem to be enjoying this far too much. Do you know when the boys will be able to visit?"

"Well Catherine, let me finish with Susan and then we can talk." He turned to Susan. "Make sure everyone wears ID badges at all times because my guys outside the door will be checking them and verifying them against the hospital employee list they have. Anything else I may have missed?" He turned to the two women behind him.

Sara looked at Catherine and they both turned back to him and Sara could hardly keep a straight face as she answered. "Nope that just about covers it."

"You heard the lady, if you need anything or have any questions give me a call, here's my card. Thank you for being so understanding and patient Susan."

"Oh don't thank me yet Captain Brass, if these girls give me any trouble I will call you personally and have you deal with them." She smiled and turned and left.

"Now ladies let's talk shop. Grissom has been a complete bear and I may have made things worse. I told him to get his head out of his ass after he more or less told me I was incompetent because I let you get beat up. Nice bruises by the way."

"Thank you I'm rather pleased with them myself. I think that the guys will love them don't you? Do you like my boo boo?" She pointed to her neck. "That's what Lindsey called it. And she kissed it better.

Brass turned to Catherine and she was laughing so hard she was crying. "Isn't she cute? They gave her a shot earlier. Payback is a bitch baby. I am so going to like this."

"Yup I'm your baby aren't I? How long you going to stay over there in that bed? Come over here." She patted the bed beside her and grinned at Catherine.

"Sara Jim is here behave!"

"Oh yeah Jim is here. Hey Jim I got a boo boo, oops I already told you that didn't I?" She giggled and laid her head back. "Hey look. Jim you got a pencil?"

"Why would you need a pencil?" He looked at her and all he could do is smile.

"See those holes up in the ceiling? I bet I can show you how they got there."

"Jim do not give her a pencil, she's going to throw it up there and try to make it stick in the ceiling. She does it at the office all the time when we are stuck doing paperwork and she's bored. That's what you were going to do isn't it?"

Sara pouted and looked at Catherine. "Spoil sport. How did you know I do that?'

Catherine couldn't believe how cute she was when she pouted. She'd never seen this side of Sara and she probably never would again. "Because I saw one sticking in the ceiling the last time you did paperwork."

"I know, I couldn't reach that one so I decided to leave it there. Come on Jim just one time, I can stand on the bed and get it down later or maybe we can leave it there to see how long it takes for someone to notice it. Come on." She turned her pout on him and it was too hard for him to resist.

"Just one and if it doesn't stick the first time that's it." He reached in his pocket and gave her a pencil.

"I can't believe you are encouraging her Jim. I also can't believe you carry a pencil in your pocket these days. Who carries a regular pencil in their pocket anymore? Well, besides you that is."

She was laughing at the look of concentration on Sara's face, her tongue peeking out from the corner of her mouth. "I can do this with my eyes closed. Ha see?" She laid back with a satisfied grin on her face as she looked up at the pencil now stuck in the soft ceiling. "Told you I could do it." She uncovered herself and started to stand up on the bed, Brass looked to Catherine.

"Sara what are you doing?"

"I'm going to get it down now so I can do it again when the guys get here."

"Lay back down right now before you hurt yourself! I bet you couldn't even stand up on the solid floor without falling over let alone on a soft bed."

"How much you want to bet sweet cheeks?" She said as she flopped back down on her bed.

"Did you just call me sweet cheeks? I can't believe you called me sweet cheeks." Catherine was laughing so hard she had to lay back down on the bed. "God you are so adorable, I could just kiss you all over."

"Hey I'm still in the room here, so don't go starting something. Maybe I should just leave the two of you alone and head back to the office and let the boys know they can visit."

"Sorry Jim, why don't you call them and tell them to get their butts over here so they can see her like this. She'll never live it down." She looked over and Sara was still staring at the pencil but she had started humming. "Hurry Jim this will only last about an hour. The guys have to see this."

"Catherine Willows you are an evil woman." But he was laughing and dialing the phone as he said it. "Hey Greg, round up Nick and Warrick and head over to Desert Palms." He listened to what he was saying. "Yeah they moved them this morning. Room 212. Ok see you in about 10 minutes."

"Cat I think we need the nurse, my side is bleeding." Brass moved over to the right side of the bed and Catherine was frantically pushing the call button.

"Are you in pain?" Catherine was getting out of her bed as she asked.

"You just want them to give me another shot so I'm high when the guys get here. Bet you didn't think I heard did ya? It does hurt a little though." As she said this the nurse came in the room.

"What seems to be the problem ladies? My name is James and I'll be your nurse for the next 7 hours."

"Her side is bleeding." Catherine was standing by her side holding her hand. "And she says it hurts."

"So what have you been doing to start it bleeding? You haven't been doing anything you shouldn't be doing have you? I saw that blush Sara, what did you do?" She pointed up and James looked up and burst out laughing. "Oh you are too much. Now unless you were standing on your head when you tossed it up there that wouldn't be strenuous enough to start the bleeding. Oh no you didn't, you did not try to get it down did you? Tell me you did not stand on the bed and try to get it down." James removed the bandage from her side and saw that one of the stitches had been pulled out.

"I tried but they wouldn't let me." She complained.

"Ok this is the deal, no more of that ok? I'm going to give you just a little more of the same thing they gave you earlier. I shouldn't, just to teach you a lesson but I'm sure that the lovely Catherine would tackle me and give you the shot herself. Once the shot kicks in I will stitch this up, you have to promise to behave. How does that sound?" He could tell from the look on Sara's face that the shot was starting to kick in.

"Sounds like a plan Stan. I know your name is James but it doesn't rhyme with plan and people always say Stan. No offense James but I can't think of how to use your name like that. Give me time I might come up with something. But James is a tough one to rhyme."

"Is she always this talkative?" He asked Catherine.

"Apparently only when she's high. She's usually kind of sullen but I like her like this, can I take some of that stuff home with us? Just slip it to her every once in awhile."

"She's is kind of cute like this isn't she?"

"I'm always this cute, can't change how a person looks whenever you please you know? Oh you didn't mean physically cute you meant…the word slips my mind right now but I know what you mean. Ouch I can still feel that."

"Sara I finished 3 minutes ago, I'm not even touching you."

"Oops must be in my head then. Sorry. Hey look who's here? It's the cavalry. Are you going to break us out of here? This is James he's our nurse and he just gave me some really gooood drugs. James can you give them some so I'm not the only one making a fool of myself. Guess not. See ya James catch ya later. Thank you for all your help. Bye bye." James was laughing as he left the room.

"Did she just say bye bye and giggle? I don't think I've ever seen Sara giggle even when she was drunk."

"She does that a lot on these drugs Greg."

"Hey guys look what I did." She giggled again and pointed up to the ceiling. "I did it in one try and Brass didn't think I could do it."

"She's so proud of herself, you'd think she won a medal or something." Brass said as he watched her.

"Oh man this is too much. Sara Sidle on drugs, I would have paid to watch this." Greg said as he pulled up a chair and turned to Catherine. "Are you guys ok?"

"She was lucky, it could have been much worse. She was able to knock over some equipment that alerted the guard, he came in and grabbed the guy. I heard the guard got cut pretty badly himself. Is he ok?"

"How can you be worried about him? If he had done his job you two would probably be on your way home right now instead of her having to get stitched up again. Why did she need more stitches now?"

"Come on Nicky relax. Jim already laid into him in the hallway and again while they were stitching up a nasty gash on his cheek. I almost feel sorry for him. As to why Sara needed more stitches, you can blame it on that." She pointed up to the pencil. "She was trying to stand up on the bed to get it down. I think that's when she ripped out one of her stitches and it started to bleed."

"Hellooo I'm still in the room. Did you forget me? Hey Greggo did ya miss me? What ya guys been doin'?" Sara pouted because she thought they were ignoring her.

"Oh isn't she cute? Look at that pout." Warrick couldn't believe this was the same woman who avoided contact with people in the office and was usually so serious.

"I think she learned it from Lindsey earlier today."

"Lindsey wants me to be her other Mommy. Oops I don't think I was supposed to say that was I Cat, sorry I let the cat out of the bag." She fell back on the bed and started laughing at her own joke. "Let the cat out of the bag, that's a good one hey Cat?"

"What's this about Sara being called Mommy? Grissom is going to go ballistic when he hears this. Does this mean it's serious between the two of you?" Warrick looked to Catherine and waited for her answer. "It's ok Catherine we already know how you two feel."

"You do? I guess if Brass figured it out it wouldn't be hard for you guys." She turned and smiled at Brass.

"Yeah because they have that CSI thing going on ya know?" Sara said to know one in particular and she was just staring up at the pencil in the ceiling.

"Yeah but we had to spell it out to our cowboy over there. He was totally clueless."

"Always the gentleman hey Nicky?" Catherine smiled as Nick blushed.

"Yeah Nicky is our gentle cowboy. Hey Nicky be a gentleman and get my pencil down I want to try it again. We could have a contest, anybody got any pencils?"

"Don't you dare give her another pencil, do not encourage her like Brass did." She looked over and saw Sara yawn. "Sara why don't you close your eyes and rest, the guys can come back later or maybe they'll just hang out and we can talk."

"You just want me to fall asleep so you can talk about me don't ya?" Her voice was starting to slur.

"We don't have to wait for you to sleep for that." Nick went to Sara's beside and took her hand. "We'll be back later ok sweetie?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I've been getting lots of kisses lately, I like it." She was asleep as soon as she finished speaking.

"How are you two doing? Are you ok?"

"Yeah Rick we're doing ok. She was doing really well until she tried to stand up on her bed." She looked pointedly towards Brass. "We should be out of here in a day or so. Then we will head to my place for hopefully a week or two. I plan on taking some vacation time to take care of Sara if they try to send me back to work early."

"So have you two been dating behind our backs or is this something new?" Warrick watched Catherine as she stroked Sara's hair absentmindedly. He was happy for his friend that she had finally admitted to both herself and Sara how she felt.

"This is something new so when she sobers up go easy on her or she might go back into her shell. Let's feel this out and see how she's going to react to some light teasing ok? I don't want to scare her away before we even start anything. Please guys this is too important to screw it up."

"Ok but if you hurt her I will be the first person in line to kick your butt." Greg smiled to take the bite out of his statement but Catherine could still tell he was somewhat serious.

"Well Greg I don't plan on hurting her so you can rest easy and put your ass kicking boots away."

"You better not hurt her or he will have to fight me for a place in line." They all turned to see Grissom standing in the doorway.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Catherine looked at her friend and was surprised at how haggard he looked. It looked like he hadn't slept since this happened which was probably the case. "Gil I know I'm not your favorite person right now but I'm sure not going to let you take any punches at me anytime soon."

"Then don't give me a reason to. I'm not saying I'm ok with this because I'm not, but if this is the way it's going to be then I can't stop it. I just came by to make sure Sara was ok. I can see that she is so now I will go home."

Catherine saw that Sara was awake and Greg was holding her other hand. "That's it? You're just going to walk away?"

"What else can I do Catherine? And if there was something, I'm sure as hell not going to do it here at the hospital in front of my coworkers. I choose to keep my personal life personal not flaunt it in front of everyone." He pointedly looked around the room to encompass everyone.

Catherine took a deep breath, now was not the time or place to lose her temper. She stood up and returned to her bed. She looked around the room at her friends and they were all looking at Gil. "Guys I'd like to talk to Gil, and I think Sara needs to rest so now would probably be a good time for you to head home for some sleep too."

Warrick walked over to her and in a protective gesture he put his arm around her. "Are you sure you don't need us to stay?"

"No Rick that's ok but thanks. Go home and get some sleep and come around tomorrow maybe they will let us out and you could give us a ride home. See ya." All of the guys gave both girls hugs and left the room. Brass hung back not sure what to do. "You too Jim, we'll be fine." She smiled at him and he walked over and gave Sara a kiss on the forehead and did the same to Catherine.

"Give em hell tiger." He whispered and she burst out laughing and watched him walk out the door.

"Gil why don't you come in and close the door so we can talk." He closed the door and grabbed the nearest chair and moved it close to Sara's bed and tried to take her hand but she pulled it back. He dropped his hands but didn't move away from Sara's bedside.

Grissom looked straight at Sara and spoke as if Catherine wasn't even in the room. "I was really hoping that this was just something that manifested from the experience in the desert. That what you had said was said in the heat of the moment. I think we can make it work, we think alike, you've said so yourself, you also said you liked my mind and wanted to see if there was more there than that. I'm sorry I never pursued you and I think you're rushing things with Catherine. We should give us another chance and see if it would work. Catherine is not the right person for you. We both have scientific minds, we both have doctorates from prestigious schools, and what could Catherine have to offer in the way of stimulating conversation?"

Catherine gasped but before she could say anything Sara spoke and Catherine was surprise at how fast she appeared have come down from the drugs. "First let me say you sure know how to kill a good buzz and ruin a good time. And second, I may have a doctorate but unlike you I choose not to flaunt it. I do what I do because I love it not because of my education. Catherine and I have had many stimulating conversations since I started at CSI. I just don't feel for you what I feel for Catherine." Catherine didn't miss the sly grin on Sara's face and she could imagine some of the conversation to which she was referring if it had anything to do with what they had discussed earlier. As usual Grissom was clueless. "I think that Catherine and I are a very good match and are very well suited for each other."

"Sara I don't think you're in any condition to be making those kinds of decisions right now. You're not thinking clearly. Maybe we should wait until you are out of the hospital and I can take care of you and we can talk. Catherine will get tired of you in a week and toss you aside like she's done with every relationship she has had. She's still married and yet she goes out with other guys, what does that tell you about her character? She went to night school, for god's sake she was a stripper."

"Ok that's it! I'm not going to sit here and take this. Gil you haven't heard a word she has said have you? I may not have a Harvard education and yes I went to night school, at your urging by the way, but does that really make a difference? Sometimes a different kind of chemistry makes all the difference in the world." She could see that Gil had no idea what she was talking about. "Gil you can be so dense sometimes. Sara and I feel something for each other that she doesn't feel for you and that's the chemistry I'm talking about. We love each other. Think about Sara for a minute and not just yourself. Think about what's best for her."

He still didn't look as Catherine as he was speaking, he looked only at Sara. "I think I'm what's best for you. There may not have been a spark when we kissed but we can work on that."

"Gil it's either there or it's not and for you two it's not."

"Shut up Catherine I wasn't talking to you."

"Gris I think it's time for you to leave." Sara's voice was so quiet Catherine almost missed it. She then looked to Grissom, and knew from the look on his face he heard and he knew he had gone too far.

"We'll talk later." He stood up and started to lean towards Sara's then changed his mind and left.

After he left Catherine lay back on her bed, turned her back to Sara and let the tears fall. She realized she had just lost her best friend. She also realized he may be right, maybe she wasn't the right person for Sara. She knew she was smart but she didn't know how smart. She was a fucking doctor for god's sake. She felt t he bed behind her dip and Sara's arm go around her. "There you go thinking again. That can be dangerous for your health. Don't let him get to you. You are still the same person you were when he walked in the room and I still love you maybe even a little more. No one has ever stood up for me and it kind of feels nice to have someone fight for me."

"You never said you were a damn doctor."

"No one ever asked and it's not important."

Catherine carefully rolled over, mindful of Sara's neck. "How can you say it's not important? I knew you were a genius but you're a fucking doctor Sara. How do I compete with Grissom and that?"

"Last time I looked there was no competition. You have this hot body and he's…well let's just leave it at that. Cat there is no competition, it's just you."

"Maybe he's right about our backgrounds. What do I have to offer you?"

"Yourself and Lindsey and a chance at happiness. This bigger question would be what do I have to offer you? You know where I come from and what I could become…" Her words were cut off by Catherine's lips colliding with her own. She could taste Catherine's tears and all she could do and all she wanted to do is hold her.

Catherine leaned back so she could look in Sara's eyes and she could see the truth. She loved her for her. "God what did I do to deserve you?"

"Well let me see, you got bashed in the head, tied to a bed, that part I like, you fell into a coma, that scared the crap out of me, you got half your head shaved, had a heart attack. Want more? I think I could think of a couple more."

"It's not half my head it's just a little bit."

"And may I say it is oh so cute." Sara leaned down and kissed Catherine in what started out in a

chaste manner but it soon turned into a heavy duty make out session. Both were breathing heavy when Sara pulled back. "We keep this up and I will not be responsible for my actions Catherine Willows. And I sure as hell do not want our first time to be in some hospital bed while I have to worry about whether it will pull out my stitches or not." She felt Catherine start to pull back but she wouldn't let her. "Before you say anything I'm fine and it doesn't hurt to kiss so we can do this all night long but if we kiss like that again it won't end at just a kiss."

"Maybe I should go back to my bed to remove the temptation."

"Cat we are in your bed. Do you want me to go back to mine?" She gave her a look that said she wanted nothing more than to stay right where she was.

"As long as you promise to behave I guess I can put up with you. So you're really a doctor huh?"

"God I am so mad that he said that."

"That's ok baby, Mom always wanted me to marry a doctor."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**I want to thank my loyal readers. Your comments are what keep me writing so take the hint and keep the reviews coming and I will keep the story coming. **

"Hey Manny, you got stuck on this detail huh? What did you do to piss Brass off this time? Or did you draw the short straw?" Catherine called out as she saw the new guard take up his position outside their door.

Manny was laughing as he watched Sara move as fast as her injuries would allow to her own bed. "I volunteered for it. It pissed me off when I found out what happened to the two of you and when Brass asked the squad for volunteers everyone signed up. Brass had more volunteers than he knew what to do with." He looked at both women. "You two look surprised. What did you expect? Two of the sexiest women on the force needed someone to watch their backs, shit I had to beat the guys back to be first in line."

"Well hopefully we'll be out of here in a day or two and the hospital can get back to normal. Then we'll see what happens from there."

"What do you mean what happens? You'll still be under guard 24/7 and we will just have to work harder when you're in the field. But in the meantime I am going to camp outside your door for the next few hours." He had a smile on his face as

"Thanks Manny, we'll try to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah like that's ever going to happen." He closed the door to both women laughing. He pulled out his phone after he closed the door and waited for the phone to be answered. He listened for awhile before he spoke. "Yeah we'll have to step up the guards once they leave here. They'll be on their guard so it will be hard to get close to them. Ok will do." He hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. He sat down on the chair to start his shift. It was hard to interpret the smile on his face. He stood up when he was approached by a doctor. "Can I have your name please doctor?"

"Jared Case, I performed the surgery on Ms. Sidle and I would like to check up on her." Manny checked his ID and then checked it against the list and then let him into the room. "So Ms. Sidle I hear you've been giving the staff some problems."

"It wasn't me, it was the drugs. They made me do it." She looked up with an innocent look but a wicked smile.

"Oh where have I heard that before?" Catherine said with a smile.

"Hey Cat whose side are you on? Aren't you supposed to support me?"

The doctor chuckled "When I release you to go home can I count on you to behave? You can come back in about 5 days to have the stitches removed."

"I promise I will behave."

"Do you have someone to take care of you?"

Catherine spoke up. "My doctor said I would be out of here soon too, so she will be coming to my house and my Mom and sister will be checking in on us. Will that be ok?"

"As long as there are no other options I guess that will have to do." He smiled at the two women.

"Doctor?"

"Yes Ms. Sidle?"

"If I promise to behave can I take care of myself and go back to my apartment?" She gave Catherine a look that asked her not to say anything.

He looked a bit confused but he went on. "Yes that would be fine. I could give you something for the pain and you'll have to skip work for at least a week but I don't see any reason why you can't take care of yourself."

"Thank you doctor." As he left the room Sara turned and knew from the look on Catherine's face that she had misunderstood. "Cat it's not what you think."

Catherine turned her full anger on Sara. "I guess it was more than I could expect even from you. As soon as you find out you're getting out of here things change. I at least expected you to wait until we left the hospital. I suppose you've had time to think about what Grissom said and you realized what he said was true. I'm just the office slut and you've had your fun." Catherine looked up to see a look of hurt on Sara's face. "You can blame it on the drugs if you want, it's the excuse I used for many years to put up with Eddie so long. I'll even tell Lindsey it was my fault…" she couldn't finish as she felt Sara's mouth cover hers in a not so gentle kiss.

"Are you going to be quiet for a minute and let me have my say?" Catherine just nodded her head. "Move over." Catherine gladly scooted over if it meant she could hold Sara a few more hours. "I'm not going anywhere unless you've given up on me." Catherine shook her head. "Now let me explain ok? The reason I don't not want to go to your house is because you and Lindsey have become very important to me and while this guy is still after me I refuse to endanger you any further and I want to keep him away from Lindsey. He already knows he can use you to get to me and I don't want him to know he could use Lindsey too. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to her. Please try to understand baby, I would go with him willingly before I would let him close to you or Lindsey. I think it would be best for me to stay at my place until this is over."

"That's not going to happen so get that idea out of your head. Before you say anything let me explain. As far as we know he doesn't know about Lindsey so I'll call my Mom and tell her to take Lindsey on a little vacation. He may be watching both of us so if he sees her with me he could use her to get to me and in that way get to you. Can you forgive me for doubting you?" This time it was Sara's turn to nod. "Grissom was right about my track record with men. Even before Eddie I didn't make the best choices where it came to men. I just expected you to leave me like all the others have."

"There's nothing to forgive and I will think about what you said about your mother taking Lindsey on a vacation. I have to get up a minute, I need to use the bathroom." She leaned down and kissed Catherine and then made her way to the bathroom. While she was in the bathroom she heard loud angry voices in the room and she knew it was Eddie. How the hell did he get in here? She carefully opened the door and walked into the room. "Catherine are you ok?"

"Of course she's ok. What do you think I'm going to do smack her around or something?"

"Oh it's not like you've never done that before."

"Shut up Catherine I was talking to your friend here. Sara right?"

"Yes that's right?" Sara looked to Catherine to make sure she was ok.

"Is the State of Nevada too cheap to spring for a private room or aren't you important enough Catherine?"

"They felt it would be easier to guard one room compared to two rooms."

"What the hell do you need a guard for? Come on I'm taking you home." Eddie grabbed Catherine's wrist and threw the covers back and pulled her out of the bed. Sara could see her wince in pain, she couldn't tell if it was from her wrist or her head probably a little of both but either way it didn't matter.

"Take your hands off me Eddie, I'm not going anywhere with you and in case you forgot I kicked you out of the house." Before she could say another word she felt the back of his hand make contact with her cheek. When his hand went up to swing again he felt a steel grip stop his hand.

Eddie turned around and with his other hand pushed Sara away as he broke her grip. His hand automatically grabbed Catherine's wrist again. Sara could see the pain in Catherine's face and it was all she could do not to jump him right then and there. "What, you want to take me on? I'll do the same to you."

"That would be the biggest mistake of your life and the last time you ever laid a hand on Catherine or any other woman." Sara made sure she maintained eye contact with Eddie the whole time she was talking, as she headed towards the door. Catherine didn't miss the fact that she was holding her side and she looked like she was in pain but she disguised it well. "Let's see how big of a talker you are when you have to deal with someone bigger than you instead of a woman. Hey Manny this guy is giving Catherine a hard time, maybe you should escort him to the elevator."

"His name was on the list and he said he was her husband."

Sara didn't break eye contact with Eddie. "He is but I think it's time for him to leave." She turned back to Catherine and looked her in the eye and ignored Eddie. "Do you want him to leave?" All Catherine could do was nod her head. "Do you want his name removed from the list?" She nodded again. "Do you want him to let go of your wrist?"

This time she spoke in a quiet voice as she looked at Sara. "Yeah I do." She carefully removed her hand from his grasp and she lay back down on the bed rubbing her wrist.

"So that's the way it's going to be? You're not worth it anyway. You'll have the papers in the mail as soon as I can sign them. Then it's good riddance." He walked by Sara and stopped and whispered something that Catherine couldn't hear and he left the room. A small smile broke out on Sara's face.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Are you two going to be ok?"

Sara gave Manny a grateful smile. "Thanks Manny I think things will be ok now." She stopped smiling as she turned back to Catherine. She carefully walked over to Catherine's bed and gently caressed her cheek where Eddie had slapped her.

Catherine leaned into the caress and after awhile she spoke. "What the hell were you thinking Sara? He hurt you didn't he? What did he say to you?""

"Nothing for you to worry about. Why did you put him on the list?" She asked hoping to divert Catherine's attention from her stomach. Sara took her in her arms and was careful not to move too fast. She rested her head on top of Catherine's.

"I didn't want to give him anything to use against me during the divorce plus I figured if he made a scene it would be best if he did it in here and not in the hallway. Now tell me what he said to you and don't say 'nothing'?"

"He told me I was welcome to you because he had a younger thing on the side. You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep from cheering and pumping my fist in the air."

"You were going to take him on weren't you? Even as much as you're hurting you would have done it wouldn't you?" Sara was afraid Catherine was mad so she just nodded against the top of her head. "Are you ok?" Once again Sara just nodded. "Do you want me to call James and get you a pill?" Sara nodded and Catherine reached for the call button and then lay back and waited for James to come. "James, Sara is too proud to ask for something for her pain, can you get her a pill?"

He sensed a change in the atmosphere of the room and felt it was not the time for joking. "Ok I'll be right back." He left the room as fast as he had entered.

Sara waited for Catherine to say something and when she didn't she started to talk only to be stopped by Catherine placing a finger against her lips. "Shhh just wait." James came in with the pill in a little cup and handed it to Sara then poured her a glass of water to wash it down and left the room without saying a word. Catherine moved on the bed so they were lying side by side so she could look Sara in the eye. "Sara what the hell do you think you were doing going up against my husband? He would not hesitate to do to you what he did to me, maybe worse if you stand up to him. That very easily could rip out the stitches in your side again or your neck. Not only would it hurt you but it would hurt me. It would hurt me because it would be my fault. What happened to waiting until you had the right to defend me?"

"I guess in the heat of the moment I forgot. When I saw him hit you I wanted to…I don't know what I wanted to do but it was hard to watch. And when he said those things about you I wanted to tell him what a wonderful woman he was throwing away"

"Good!"

"What do you mean good?" Sara couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Because I kind of liked it. It's been a long time since anyone has stood up for me. I love you."

"I love you too. Does trouble always follow you around like this? Is there anything else I need to know about?"

"Nope, I think we've just about covered everything. I don't think we should have any more surprises on my side of things. How about you? Well other than this stalker that is?"

"I think we'll be ok." As they lay back Manny knocked on the door and poked his head in.

"Hey Sara looks like someone sent you some flowers, they're at the nurses' station. I know Brass said there was no family you want me to bring them in?"

"Don't bring me the flowers, just bring me the card." Catherine felt her tense up while she waited for Manny.

"Just remember you're not alone."

"Thanks Cat I needed to hear that." Sara's hand was shaking as she took the envelop from Manny's hand. She pulled the card out and read it.

_My Sara,_

_You have proven to be a worthy adversary _

_which only makes the pursuit all the more _

_interesting and Catherine will be an added _

_bonus. _

_Never forget, you will be mine._

_Hope you like the flowers._

_All my love, T_

Sara held the card in shaky hands and just lay on the bed and said nothing. She now knew that he was definitely after Catherine and it was all her fault. Catherine reached over and took the card from her hands and read it. "Well I guess that makes it official, we stay together from now until we catch this guy. Any idea what the 'T' stands for?" She had a smile on her face that Sara couldn't understand.

"What do you find funny about this?"

"You look like you were about to jump off that bed and start running away right now."

"That's exactly what was going through my mind. I was thinking about where I could go that would ensure that both you and Lindsey would be safe. I thought I could head back to Boston, which would give you time because he would come after me."

Catherine sat up so she could put a little distance between her and Sara. "Just when were you planning on telling me about these plans and what makes you think he wouldn't take care of me before he came after you?" She could feel her anger rising again.

"I felt you would be safer if I didn't tell you where I was going and I figured he would be more interested in following me than coming after you." Sara lowered her head so she wouldn't have to see Catherine's anger.

"Did you give any thought to how that would make both Lindsey and me feel? Did you think I would just sit back and let you take off? We are in this together whether you like it or not. You are not running anywhere. We are going to get this guy so that we can start our life together and grow old together."

"You want to grow old with me?" Sara looked up with tears in her eyes.

Catherine lay back down next to her and took her in her arms and held her tightly as her anger subsided. "Yeah baby I'm in this for the long run. I'm going to need a youngster like you to push me around in my wheelchair when I'm old and senile. Why do you think I picked someone as young as you?"

Sara lifted her head to look in to the eyes of the woman she loved and saw that they were dancing with merriment. "I thought it was because you thought I had a hot body."

"There's that too. But it's those muscular arms that came to my mind first. Have to think long range at my advanced age you know."

"Oh so you pick up the first babe that comes along to take care of you."

"No not the first one, just the first one with muscles. Oh and the looks helped a lot too, they brought my attention to those muscles once I got past the pretty face."

"Are you saying I'm just a pretty face?" By this time Sara's foul mood was gone.

"Why do you keep forgetting about the muscles? Are you sure you're the genius they say you are? You can't even remember something I said not even a minute ago, and I've said it twice Miss Sidle?"

"That's Dr. Sidle remember? Do you have any idea how much I love you? I've never felt this way before Cat, sometimes it scares me. I guess that's why I thought about taking off because I'd rather live without you and know you are safe than be with you and know that you are in danger because of me."

"Well Dr. Sidle I guess we are just going to have to find a way to catch this guy then aren't we? We'll discuss it with Brass once we get out of here and see what his plans are. But in the meantime let's not worry about it and enjoy our time together ok?" At Sara's nod she went on. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"No actually I feel pretty good? Want to make out?" She looked up at Catherine with a hopeful smile.

"You read my mind." Sara scooted down the bed so that she was lying down and pulled Catherine down with her then reached up and cupped Catherine's cheek so that she could lightly caress the bruise that Eddie's slap had left.

"If he ever touches you again I can't guarantee that I will stand by and do nothing. Does it hurt?" Catherine shook her head because once again she couldn't speak because Sara's caress was at odds with the anger in her voice. Sara rolled over so she was almost on top of Catherine and she kissed the spot where the bruise had formed and then kissed the other cheek before settling her mouth on Catherine's in one of the softest kisses Catherine had ever experienced. She was so used to the demanding kisses from men who only wanted one thing but she was quickly beginning to really like kissing this woman. She decided to let Sara control the kiss just to see where she would take it.

"What do you like in a lover Cat? I like to take my time, caress every part of your body until you can't take it anymore." As she was speaking her hand was busy showing Catherine just what she was talking about. "I would kiss you here." She kissed one eye then the other. "And if I didn't hear any complaints I would kiss you here." She moved down to just below her ear and Catherine could not hold back a moan. "Is that a complaint?" Catherine vigorously shook her head. "Good I thought maybe you wanted me to quit, so shall I continue?" Catherine nodded just as vigorously. "Then I would love to do this." Catherine shuddered when she felt Sara's tongue slowly make its way to her ear and then slide down her throat to her pulse point. Catherine reached up to touch Sara's face but Sara took her hand and laid it back on the bed and looked Catherine in the eye before she spoke. "This is for you, I want to show you how I feel and I don't think I could if you touched me. I seem to forget where I am or what I'm saying when you touch me, so please will you let me show you?" Sara's voice came out even lower than it had been just seconds before.

Catherine had to clear her throat before she could talk and even then her voice was deep. "I would love for you to show me how you feel but I just want you to know that so far you're doing pretty good. I love you Sara Sidle."

"I love you too Catherine Willows. Now where was I? Ah yes right here." She returned her lips to Catherine's very delectable neck. "Once I had my fill of this spot, which is a very lovely spot by the way, I would kiss my way to the other side and do the same thing." As her mouth made its way to the other side of her neck her hand slowly made its way to Catherine's stomach. "Have I ever told you how much I love your stomach? I've always loved it when you wore those tight tank tops. They show off so much. But your stomach has always captured my attention, it's both soft and hard at the same time. It's soft where a woman is supposed to be soft but the muscles there are so sexy." Slowly her hand made its way down her stomach to her thigh and Sara couldn't help but groan when she felt the muscles ripple where she touched. "God I can't wait to feel those legs wrapped around me. If this is what dancing does to a woman's legs then I am certainly glad you were a dancer." Sara very slowly made her way back up the leg and Catherine groaned when the hand slowed near the apex of her legs. "I want to touch you just as much as you want me to but as I said, our first time is not going to be in a hospital bed. Do you want me to stop?"

"No Sara I don't want you to stop but I do want you to know that you are driving me crazy. And I can't wait until we are alone and can take this where we both obviously want it to go."

"Do you know your eyes darken to a lovely shade of green when you are turned on like you are now? That is sooo sexy. Almost as sexy as your voice, it drops and it sure does a number on my libido." As she was speaking her hand was continuing its exploration of Catherine's body and it stopped on her stomach again. "I'm glad your Mom brought us some shirts and shorts to wear because if we were in those hospital gowns and I knew you were naked underneath I would have a very hard time keeping my promise of not taking you in this hospital room." She laughed at Catherine's shocked expression. "I'm already having a very hard time keeping my hands off of you." As she said this her hand covered Catherine's right breast and both women groaned. Sara's mouth covered Catherine's in a kiss that was far from the gentle kiss earlier. Sara kneaded the breast and the already taut nipple and smiled as Catherine's hips lifted off the bed of their own volition. "Someone's just as turned on as I am. I think I had better quit before this goes too far."

Catherine reached up and stopped her from removing her hand, she opened Sara's hand and laid it flat against her breast. "Just leave it there for a minute, don't move it or I can't be held responsible for my actions. I can't remember ever being more turned on in my life. I can tell you've been with a woman before but this is a first for me so give me a minute to recover."

"Are you trying to tell me that you've never been with a woman? Even during your dancing days?" It was Sara's turn to be surprised.

"No I have never been with a woman, I've kissed a few but that was as far as it went. I never had the urge to take it any further until I met you. I was so surprised at the immediate attraction I felt for you. You stood there in that doorway with that cocky smile on your face and all I could think about was how beautiful you were and how adorable that gap in your teeth was." As Catherine was speaking she slowly brought Sara's hand to her lips and kissed it. "Now my dear Dr. Sidle, you asked earlier what I liked in a lover. Well so far you are what I like in a lover and I'm sure when we finally do make love I will not be disappointed. But let me show you how I like to be made love to." She rolled over so that now she was the one in charge. There was nothing tentative about the kiss and when she felt Sara's lips part the tiniest bit she took advantage of it and pushed her tongue through the small gap. Could it get any better than this she thought? And it did when Sara's tongue met hers in a duel as old as time. Catherine threw her leg over Sara's leg and couldn't help but groan at the contact. "Sara Sidle you are one sexy woman and you are driving me crazy."

"Well I'm not exactly unaffected by all of this myself you know? And you my dear have closed the book on sexy."

"And let me tell you about those legs of yours." Catherine's hand was taking much the same path Sara's had earlier. "Your legs have been the bane of my existence. They go on forever and you have no idea how many times I've thought about having them wrapped around me and to hear you moan as I take you." At that thought Sara couldn't help the moan that escaped. "Just like that but hopefully louder and longer. God, we have to get out of this hospital, it's killing me to not be able to make love to you. I think I will have my Mom take Lindsey on that vacation just so I can have you all to myself for at least 3 days and we will never leave the bedroom."

"Only three days? What about food?"

"How can you think about food at a time like this?" Catherine looked down at her and couldn't help but laugh at the look on Sara's face. She had such a childlike quality about her that Catherine had never noticed before.

"Well we would need to eat to keep up our strength. I'm all for staying in the bedroom for three days but if we don't eat or drink we wouldn't last long."

"Well when you put it that way it makes sense. And it effectively broke the sexual tension in this room. I guess maybe you are as smart as they say you are." She leaned over and gave Sara a quick peck on the lips and moved away before she was tempted to continue what they started earlier. "You are very potent did you know that?"

"Like a fine wine?"

"More like a shot of whiskey. Goes down smooth but has one hell of a kick."

"Are you two kissing again?" came the young voice behind her. Catherine rolled over and moved back to her own bed and watched as Lindsey climbed up and took her place next to Sara. "You must really like my Mommy a lot to kiss her that much."

Catherine watched as Sara blushed and she thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. "Hey sweetie can I get a hug?"

"Just a minute Mommy I want to see if Sara is ok." Lindsey turned back to Sara. "How does your neck feel? Does it still hurt? Will it help if I kiss it better?"

"Yeah kiddo it might just help if you kiss it better." Sara looked over to Catherine as Lindsey carefully leaned down and gave Sara's bandage a kiss. "Aw that feels better already. Thank you very much."

Lindsey jumped down off of Sara's bed and climbed up to give her mother a hug. "Did you hear that Mommy I made her neck feel better? When she comes to live with us I will have to kiss her lots and lots to make her better faster."

"Not too many because then she will leave sooner." Lindsey's face scrunched up while she thought about that.

"Catherine stop that. I like her kisses and she can kiss me as much as she likes." Sara looked to Lindsey and smiled. "You can kiss me as much as you want and your Mom is not allowed to stop you ok?"

Lindsey turned to look at her Mom to make sure it was ok, then they both turned to Sara with identical smiles and she fell in love all over again. Sara turned towards the door and saw Lily standing there with an indulgent smile on her face. "Hey Lily come on in, sit down and tell me how to learn to resist these two."

"Maybe you, being the trained CSI can figure them out and you can let me know."

"Hey no fair, you can't gang up on us like that." Catherine pouted.

"Oh and it's fair for you two to gang up on us?" Lily walked over and gave Catherine a kiss on the forehead and gently moved her hair away to check her head then giving Catherine a knowing look when she saw the new bruise on her cheek. "Has Eddie been here?" All Catherine could do was nod and she lowered her head in shame. "How are you two feeling today? Judging from the level of activity when we walked in I would say you have both improved." She walked over and surprised Sara by kissing her on the forehead and then checking the bruises on her neck. "When are they going to spring you?"

"Not soon enough!" Both women answered in unison.

"Are we in a hurry?"

"Mom I have a favor to ask you, can we take a little walk?" Catherine bent down and kissed Lindsey's cheek and picked her up and placed her on Sara's bed. "Sweetie can you keep Sara company until Grandma and I get back?"

"Sure Mommy I can tell her a story ok?"

"Ok sweetie." Catherine winked at Sara as she left the room.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Hey Warrick where's the card that Sara received with her flowers?"

"Over there in the baggie. What's up?"

"I just remembered something that I saw when I first looked at the card. I can't believe I didn't remember it. There it is. He signed the card 'T' now we need to concentrate on the files and see if there is anyone with the initial T that paid special attention to Sara. Maybe we should call her and ask if it rings any bells."

"I'll give her a call and see if she can help us." He dialed Sara's cell phone and waited for her to answer. "Hey Sara, got a question for ya? The card you got with the flowers was signed T. Any idea who it could be?" He listened for awhile and then spoke. "Ok just thought we'd give it a try. You take care, we'll be by later to visit ok?" He hung up and turned to Nick. "She said they tried to find anyone connected to her or any of her cases back then that had either a T in their first or last name and nothing came up. She also said she couldn't remember anyone she may have come in contact with that showed any overt attention to her that had the initial T."

"I'm going to hold on to these copies of her files so we can use them later to rule things out. Maybe I'm going to go through them again and see if there are any family members that got screwed or something."

"If he got screwed why would he be claiming to be in love with her?"

"Remember the fine line between love and hate? Maybe something caused him to go from hating her to thinking he was in love with her. Hell, man I don't know anymore but what else do we have?" Nick let his frustration come through. "After I go through the files I'll start sifting through the garbage from the trailer again."

"No way am I going to tell Grissom we struck out with the files. He told us it was a waste of time. We had to try right?"

"Yeah Rick we had to try, and I'm not done trying yet. I'm going to need another cup of coffee if I'm going to read these files again. Want some coffee?"

"Yeah sure, let me start sifting through the garbage again." Warrick started weeding out garbage from things that might be substantial and started a pile.

"Please give me something to do before I go crazy and kill Grissom! He keeps asking me if I have anything new on Sara's case and I keep telling him no and he bites my head off. What do you think Catherine said to him? It didn't seem to improve his attitude?"

"I have no idea Greg and I haven't spoken to Catherine to get her side of things. I'm not sure how much she'll tell me, it may have been private. We'll ask her when we go see them later. It's hard to believe it's only been two days since this whole thing started. But you know Catherine she didn't hold anything back. Grissom probably left with his tail between his legs."

"Hey Greg you hiding your stash from us again? I'd pay for a cup of it right about now. Shift just started and already I'm going cross eyed reading these files."

"How much would you pay?" Greg was rubbing his hands together at the thought of besting his friend.

"Come on man, be a friend, look at that stack of files I have to read. I read them yesterday and now I have to read them again."

"Aw Nick beg a little more and I might find it in my heart to allow you a cup of my premo coffee."

"That is so not nice Greg, a true friend would not be that way. A true friend would offer a cup to a friend in their hour of need." Greg knew he had lost that round and he lowered his head and left the room.

Warrick walked over and high fived Nick. "Man that was so smooth. How much you want to bet he comes back with a cup for both of us?"

"Not taking that bet man, it's a suckers bet. He'll be back with two cups just the way we like it and it will be piping hot." They high fived again and got back to work.

Not ten minutes later Greg was back and he handed each man a cup of coffee. "Not a word out of either of you and you can quit high fiving and wipe the grins off your faces. That coffee costs 100 bucks a bag. I know Sara's found my stash and makes a pot for you guys when I'm not around so don't say you never get any."

Both Nick and Warrick were laughing at the pout on Greg's face then they decided to cut him some slack as long as he was coming to help them. "Hey thanks Greg, your coffee is always appreciated."

"Cut the crap Warrick, I brought you a cup so I could avoid you begging like Nick did. One man begging is all I can deal with in one day. Now what can I do until someone comes in with some lab work?"

"Same thing as before, dig into the crap on the table and see if we can find anything to nail this son of a bitch"

They all worked in silence for about an hour until Grissom came in with a slip in his hand. "Warrick got a 419 out in Henderson, take Nick with you."

"What about…"

"Just do it Warrick." Both Warrick and Nick left the room not wanting to stay for anymore of Grissom's foul mood. Grissom turned to Greg who was busy pretending to not be in the room. "Greg why are you in here instead of in your lab. I distinctly remember telling you to go there and work?"

Greg rounded on Grissom and surprised both himself and Grissom with his anger. "You know what Grissom? I am so tired of being your whipping boy. Things are slow and you know it. There is nothing to process as I've told you the last three times you asked. The only place there might be any new evidence is in that pile over there." He said as he pointed to the garbage from the trailer. "If you are angry with Catherine for stealing your girlfriend don't take it out on me and everyone else around here. It's been two days and you have bitten my head off at least twice today and shift just started an hour ago. I'm tired of it. Get it together or you will lose what little respect we still have for you." Greg left Grissom standing in the middle of the lab with his mouth hanging open.

When he finally recovered he headed back to his office. He shut the door behind him and sat down behind his desk. "I have to do something to win her back. We were meant to be together. I need to show her that." He pulled out his rolodex and found what he was looking for. He picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Hello, yes I'd like to order some flowers for delivery."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

He paced the room in his house and kept looking up at the wall as if the answer was there. "Can't go the hospital it's too dangerous. They must really like my Sara to guard her so closely. I will just have to wait until she leaves the hospital and start working on her again. Now I must take the time to figure out the perfect gift to win her love. Maybe I read her wrong, maybe she doesn't like flowers and that's why she throws them away. But she threw my other gifts away too. I need to find a way to get her alone so I can tell her that I love her." He took one last look at the wall turned off the light then left the room.

He went into his living room and sat in the hanging chair and imagined Sara sitting there and remembering the times on the beach. Will she be happy here until I can take her back to California? He wanted to give her time to get to know him before he took her back to their home on the beach. He knew that once she got to know him she would love him as much as he loved her. And once they got to the beach house she would fall in love with him all over again. Then she would put her life here behind her and they would be happy on the beach. That would be a dream come true and he will just have to make sure she has all she could ever need. It's a quiet piece of beach where not too many people visit. There are only the three houses on that stretch of beach and since he now owned all three they wouldn't have to worry about being bothered by neighbors. She'll appreciate all he has done to ensure that they are not disturbed once they settle down. The only people that ever visited the beach while Sara lived there were her friends, the other neighbors and he. He didn't let her see him very often because he wanted to see her response to his gifts before he made any moves. But she left California before he could make his presence know.

As he had told her, he would kill her before he let her get away again. He also knew he would have to kill Catherine Willows too. He'd already found out where she lived and drove by there the other day and thought it was a nice house. He checked her out online and it said she had been an exotic dancer when she was younger and was married to an Eddie Willows, checked on him too, sleazy looking guy. She had a 5 year old daughter, her sleazy dad can take care of her once her Mom is dead. I wonder if Sara likes kids. She's still young enough to have a couple. They would all have that same cute gap in their teeth, her chocolate brown eyes and the curl in their hair, especially when it is wet.

Sara had been easy to find once she had left but he'd had a job to do and that was why it took a year before he could renew his relationship with her. He knew everything about her so it wasn't hard to track her down. They would be surprised if they knew what kind of information he could gather from his computer. It wasn't just your run of the mill computer, he wasn't a genius for nothing. He had some of the biggest corporations in the world in debt to him for the information he's been able to gather for them and the computer systems he'd installed for them. He kept meticulous records and those same corporations were well aware of those records so they knew they were between a rock and a hard place and had to come back to him for all of their computer work. He was in very high demand because of his expertise but none of them knew anything more about him than the phone number he gave them.

He looked at the picture he had sitting on the coffee table. It was his favorite that he had taken of Sara. She had just come out of the water and had lowered the top half of her wet suit and picked up her surf board and was carrying it back to her house. Her hair was plastered against her face and there was a huge smile on her face and the morning sun was shining on her hair. She was always happiest at that time of the morning, before she had to go to work and face the ugliness of her job. She didn't seem to be happy at all anymore and that was why he wanted to take her away from all of this, away from the ugliness. They would have a good life and she would be happy.

"Nick, let's wrap this up and take the evidence back to the office. We need to process this before we can get back to Sara's evidence."

"We need to see if Grissom can get more help from Ecklie. I'll ask him when we get back and see what he says." Nick stowed his gear and evidence in the back of their truck and hopped in the passenger seat while Warrick fished out the keys out of his pocket after he put all of his stuff next to Nick's in the back of the Denali. Nick turned to him after he had started the truck. "Think Grissom's mood has improved any?"

"Has Catherine given up on Sara, has Sara moved on to someone else, no to both ? So I guess it would be safe to say that his mood will not have improved. I would bet that it has gotten worse."

"Once again that's a sucker's bet and I'm not stupid enough to take it. What the hell are we going to do with him? Maybe we should call Lady Heather, I always felt he had a soft spot for her?"

"Nick you are a genius! She gave me her card the last time we were out there on a case and said to call her anytime. I'll call her when we get back to the office."

"Why would she have given you one of her cards you sly devil?" Nick punched him on the shoulder and laughed.

"Actually she asked me to keep an eye on Grissom because she said she she was drawn to him but not in a sexual way. I'm sure it wouldn't take much for it to turn sexual if you know what I mean?"

"Why am I always the last one to know all of this stuff and why didn't you tell me? Geez I need to start watching people better. I missed Catherine and Sara and now this. I feel like I'm being left out of the loop."

"It's not that you're being left out of the loop it's just that you are too naïve and don't think sexual thoughts about your coworkers." At Nick's grimace he went on. "I don't mean think about them as a sex object I mean look at them and think about who you would pair them up with. Greg and I do it all the time. Sara is the intellectual sexy type, she and Grissom would make a good pair intellectually but sexually, no way. Now Catherine is sexy as hell and intelligent, men throw themselves at her, she could have her choice of man or woman. With Sara you see the intelligence and the beauty but with Catherine her beauty knocks you out and once you get past that her intelligence comes out. Haven't you ever wondered about stuff like that?"

"Not about my coworkers man, that's like incest or something. Sara's like a sister and Grissom has always been like a father or big brother. Catherine is sexy as hell but I still can't think about her like that. How come you and Greg never told me about these little games you play?"

"We probably would have included you if you had been around when we started talking but I guess the timing has always been off. What do you care if you can't think about them like that?"

"Well there's always Archie and other people. So have you ever paired yourself with Catherine? You two have this flirting thing going on all the time."

"Naw, we actually talked about it one time and knew that we couldn't act on it because she said work would get in the way if things didn't work. That's what tells me this is pretty serious for her if she's willing to take a chance with Sara."

"Man I always thought they hated each other from the way they always fought. Now you're telling me it was sexual tension? So no more fights, damn that was good entertainment?"

"Oh so you do think about them sexually then?" Warrick was laughing at the look on Nick's face when he realized what he had said.

"Aw man I'm just as bad as you and Greg aren't I?"

"Not yet but we'll work on it buddy."


	25. Chapter 25

**To my loyal readers (and those who are just enjoying the story) I am soooo sorry about the screw up with Chapters 25 and 26. This is the correct Chapter 25 and it will make some of the things that were said in Chapter 26 make sense. Once again Sorry.**

Chapter 25

Two more days had passed with no further encounters with Sara's stalker and finally their doctors gave them the go ahead to go home and both were more than ready to get out of the hospital. "Hey sweetie are you about ready to go home?"

"Cat I am beyond ready to get out of here. When will the guys be here?"

Catherine looked at her watch. "Warrick said that Grissom was letting them leave at 8:00 so they should be here in about an hour. On the way we can swing by your apartment and pick up your clothes. Lindsey wanted to be there when we got home and Mom said she was going to cook us a meal. After we eat they'll take off for their vacation." She wiggled her eyebrows at Sara. "Then we can get down to business."

"And what business is that Cat?" She smiled innocently at Catherine. "Did you have something in mind to fill the afternoon, I was planning on sleeping."

"Oh I plan on using the bed but definitely not for sleeping Ms. Sidle."

"Are you sure you're up to it at your advanced age? You might need to take a nap first."

Catherine was laughing as she made her way over to Sara's bed. "You might need a nap after I get done with you honey, but you will definitely not be getting one before. It will be hard to wait until Mom and Lindsey leave to keep my hands off of you."

"Why do you have to wait?" It was her turn to wiggle her eyebrows.

Catherine slapped her arm. "Behave it's hard enough as it is."

"You seem to be doing a good job of it right now."

"So what do you want me to do Sara? Do you want me to do this?" She took Sara's face in her hands and kissed her very soundly. "Or do you want me to do this?" She kissed her neck. Sara turned her head to give her better access. "Or should I do this?" She snaked her hand under the covers and then under Sara's shirt to cover her breast. "Oh looks like someone else is excited too."

"Cat stop! I can't take it. You got your point across, I'm all yours when we get to your house."

"So ladies are you two ready to get out of my hospital and let us get back to some semblance of normalcy?"

Catherine whispered in Sara's ear and moved her hand after a quick tweak of the nipple. "To be continued." She giggled at Sara's quick intake of breath. "Susan, are you here to spring us?"

"Yes ladies I am here to give you your aftercare instructions. You both need to be back here in three days to have your stitches removed. No heavy lifting for either of you ok? Sara that means no picking her up and carrying her around the house ok?" Sara blushed that lovely shade of red that Catherine was beginning to like a lot. "You two are going to have to be careful for the first couple of days."

"Can you define 'be careful'?" Catherine asked with a worried look on her face.

Susan had to laugh at the matching worried looks on the two faces staring back at her. "Do you really want me to spell it out?" Both women nodded. "Ok you can make love but no gymnastics while doing so. Try to confine yourselves to the bed, no tabletops or countertops."

Catherine snapped her fingers. "Damn there goes my plan of attack. I have a new kitchen table I was planning on breaking in after we had lunch with my Mom and daughter." Both Susan and Catherine laughed when they saw the shocked look on Sara's face. "Babe I'm just kidding. We can save it for after dinner instead."

"Cat will you behave and let her finish telling us what we can and cannot do? Go ahead Susan."

"Thank you Sara." She winked at Catherine before she continued. "Both of you are going to have to keep the suture areas dry until the stitches come out. So I guess that would mean that the shower is out just like the table." She laughed as she said it.

"But Susan don't you have those things we can tape over the incisions so we can do it in the shower?"

"That's enough Catherine let her finish so she can get back to work." By this time Sara was smiling too. "I'm interested in what surfaces we can do it on versus where we can't. Do you have a list or something we can refer to. You know like, 'hold on Cat move your hand so I can check the list before we continue' type thing?"

"Oh she can give as good as she gets huh Catherine?" Susan had to laugh at the slightly shocked look on Catherine's face.

"Oh I hope so." They all burst out laughing as Susan gave them the necessary paperwork for their discharge. They signed what needed to be signed and Susan left the room. "So do you think we can be careful Sara?"

"Oh I'm sure we can be imaginative enough and keep it safe at the same time."

"I sometimes still have to pinch myself to believe this is all real. I always hoped I'd have a chance with you but this is more than even I could have expected. The last few days have been eye opening for me."

"Oh yeah I bet it has. Your day starts out in much the normal way and by the end of it you end up in the hospital. You have a hole in your head because of me, you have a man out there that wants to kill you, once again because of me. Quite the first date huh?"

"I must admit, as first dates go, it rates up there as bad, but you haven't seen some of the guys I've dated."

"Cat, this is going to work right?" She asked very quietly.

"Who are you doubting me or you? If you are doubting me, don't because I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm doubting myself and what I can offer you and Lindsey. What if I do something wrong and it messes her up?"

"Too late I've already done that." At Sara's shocked look she continued. "Parenting doesn't come with a handbook."

"Well it should. I'm going to pick up some books and read up on it."

"Sara I love you for wanting to do that and I would have been surprised if you hadn't. But there is no right or wrong. I've made my share of mistakes but I don't think Lindsey is too damaged yet. I'm sure she will spend the whole of her life in therapy or something but you never can tell." She laughed a small laugh.

"How can you laugh about your child having to be in therapy?"

"Sara I was joking. I have no idea what will happen in the future. We will both make mistakes, that's a given, but we can sit down and talk about decisions if that makes you feel more comfortable. I trust your judgment more than I trust my own sometimes and I see no reason it should be any different in parenting."

"But Cat I had the worst examples you could ever have when it comes to parents so how can you say that?"

Catherine once again took Sara's face between her hands. First she kissed her then she looked her in the eyes before she spoke. "Sara look at me. You have a gentle soul that got a bad deal when they handed out parents. You're a survivor Sara. You walked away from that life and made a new one here and now you are going to start a new chapter in that life. There are going to be ups and downs. I'm sure there will still be some of our infamous fights, we're two strong independent women. But just think, now instead of staying mad at each other we can have some amazing make up sex."

"There is that. Almost worth picking a fight just to make up."

"Oh honey we don't have to fight to have amazing sex. But just think about what we can do with all of that heat and tension we generate when we fight."

"God Cat you have to stop. Your eyes are doing that darkening thing and your voice has dropped again. You have to stop."

"Or what? What will you do Sara?" Catherine deliberately lowered her voice even more and had climbed onto Sara's bed and draped her leg over Sara's lower body. "Can you wait until we get home, all through lunch while I will be sitting next to you thinking about what I'm going to do to you as soon as Mom and Lindsey leave?" Sara couldn't stop the moan from escaping as she felt Catherine's knee intimately resting against her already over heated sex. Catherine felt the heat against her bare skin and the groan she had been holding in passed her lips before she could stop it. "God Sara I can't wait to have you all to myself, with no interruptions."

"Speaking of interruptions, are you ladies ready to go or can we stay for the show?" Catherine rolled off of Sara to see Nick, Greg and Warrick standing in the door with matching hopeful looks on their faces.

"Sorry guys, show's over. Come on Sara time to blow this pop stand." Sara wasn't sure her legs would hold her after being so turned on so she slowly lowered her legs and stood. "You ok sweetie?" Catherine knew exactly how Sara was feeling, her legs were a bit wobbly themselves.

Sara walked over to Catherine and leaned over and whispered. "To be continued." Repeating Catherine's earlier words.

James met them at the door with two wheel chairs. "Ladies your carriages await. Gentleman I leave them in your care. Ladies you have been a joy to care for and I hope I never have to see you again. No offense. But I like you both too much to want to see you here in the hospital again ok?"

"No offense taken James." Sara walked over and kissed him on the cheek before she sat down in the wheel chair. Then she turned around and smiled. "Home James! Told you I find a way to use your names in the proper context." Catherine, James and Sara laughed at the confused looks on the CSI's faces. "Let's get out of here." Sara sat in her chair as the guys pushed them down the hallway. "Warrick, when we take off, keep an eye out for anyone that may be following us. I don't want him to know where Catherine lives."

"Already on it Sara. You two are going to ride with Greg while Nick and I follow behind and play lookout."

"Sara, there are some flowers that were just delivered for you."

Sara stiffened and turned to the nurse behind them. "Throw them away."

"Don't you even want to see who they're from?" The nurse asked.

"I know who they're from, throw them away."

"What's this all about?" Greg grabbed the card and read it. "They're from Grissom."

"What the hell was he thinking? Didn't he give you guys the flowers and card I sent over to the lab two days ago? Sara got more flowers from her stalker so I sent them over for you guys to check for evidence. Then he turns around and sends her more flowers, he's such a Neanderthal." She looked at Sara and realized she spoke before she thought. "I'm sorry I may have spoken out of turn, Sara do you want to keep them now that you know they're not from your stalker?"

"Are you serious? Of course I don't want them. Why would you even think that?"

"I have a tendency to speak before I think, as you already know, I didn't want you to think that I was speaking for both of us. I wasn't speaking out of jealously, don't think I'm jealous or anything, I'm not but they are your flowers not mine."

"Cat shut up. Guys throw the flowers away." Sara stood up and knelt in front of Catherine's chair. "I know you are not jealous and if you are there is no reason to be. But you were right about him not thinking about how I might react. He never has thought of anyone but himself. Let's get out of here so we can get to that lunch your mother has prepared. I think I will have to have a talk with Grissom sooner rather than later." The five of them headed out the door and after everyone was settled in the cars they took off.

Lindsey was jumping up and down at the front door as Greg's car pulled up in the driveway. "Grandma, they're here. Mommy and Sara are here." Once Greg turned the car off she went running to the passenger side door and waited for her Mom to open it. She was on Catherine's lap before she even had her seatbelt off. "Mommy, Grandma and I made lunch for you and Sara." Catherine stood up and gave Lindsey a big hug then set her down.

She was at the backdoor and on Sara's lap before Nick and Warrick had a chance to help her out. "Sara, we made lunch for you and Mommy and then Grandma is taking me to Disneyland. Will you still be here when we get back? Please say yes because you said I could kiss you lots and lots when you stayed here."

"Hey kiddo why don't we give your Mom and Sara a chance to get out of the car and into the house before you tire them out with all of your questions ok?" Warrick held her hand as they headed towards the house.

"Hey Uncle Warrick did you hear I'm going to Disneyland?" Warrick picked her up and threw her up in the air and laughed as she giggled. "Again!" Lindsey asked for more. They all headed into the house.

"Grandma, Uncle Warrick threw me in the air again. I love it when he does that. Sara can you do t hat?"

"Not right away but once I'm all healed you won't be able to stop me."

Lindsey threw herself into Sara's arms. "Yippee! I'm going to like having you around. Let's go eat."

"That's our cue to get out of here." Nick spoke from behind Greg.

"Hey guys thanks for picking us up and having our back. We saw the guard out front and Manny said he and the rest of the guys will be setting up shifts. We already know what the stalker looks like so we won't have to worry about him slipping in on one of the shifts." Both Sara and Catherine hugged each of the guys and then they all bent down to kiss and hug Lindsey.

"Alright ladies, that young lady has been bugging me all day to get out of here to start our vacation so let's sit down to eat so we can get out of here." Sara and Catherine sat down at the table as Lily served up the salad and pasta. "Catherine mentioned that you were a vegetarian so I hope I did ok with this lunch."

"That's very thoughtful of you Lily and it tastes great." They ate in a comfortable silence. When they finished Sara stood up and picked up her plate but was stopped before she could move any further.

"Sit down Sara, I'll take care of that." Lily grabbed her plate and gathered up all of the others and headed for the kitchen. "Coffee anyone?"

"Yes!" Both women called out in unison then laughed. "The meal was delicious Lindsey thank you very much." Lindsey preened at the compliment.

"Yes Lindsey that was very good indeed." Catherine picked up her daughter and gave her a big hug. "Best lunch I ever had sweetie."

Lily came in with their suitcases and set them down by the door. "The cab will be here in about ½ hour. Flight leaves in about an hour and a half. Lindsey why don't you make sure you have your favorite toys and then we can sit with your Mom and Sara until the cab gets here." Lindsey ran off to her room and Lily sat down at the table.

"Mom I appreciate you taking her on this vacation. You may have to stay longer if we can't catch this guy."

"I think I can find something to amuse a 5 year old for a few more days. Will you girls be ok? I mean do you have enough protection? I've seen the cops outside, will that be enough?"

"I hope so, if not I'm sure Brass will send more over. We will each have someone on us personally wherever we go so I think Jim's got it covered." Just then Lindsey came running out of her room and there was a horn in the driveway at the same time. "Well sweetie sounds like it's time to start your great adventure. Have fun, give Mommy a big hug and kiss then go give Sara a hug too." Catherine gave her a hug then sent her over to Sara. "Thanks again Mom. I don't think you should have any problems but keep your eye on her just in case ok." Catherine gave her Mom a big hug.

"Het kiddo have a good time and I will see you when you get back. Your Mom and I will be thinking about you ok? Have fun. Give me a big hug and then help your Grandma with the luggage ok?" Sara turned to Lily. "Lily I really want to thank you for doing this. I didn't mean to

disrupt your life this much. Thank you for letting me pay for your trip, it was the least I could do. If you need anything while you are there let me know ok? Have a good trip and have fun. Don't worry about us." She gave Lily a quick hug and then stood back so they could leave the house.

Catherine watched out the window and as soon as the cab pulled away Catherine turned to Sara and pushed her up against the closed door. "Now you're all mine."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I'm glad I never liked this shirt." Catherine said as their lips collided.

Sara broke the kiss so she could take a breath and speak. "Why is that?"

"This is why." She grasped the two bottom halves of the blouse and ripped upwards. Buttons went flying in every direction. "My god Sara you're beautiful." She stared in awe at the perfection that was Sara Sidle almost naked from the waist up.

Sara took the opportunity to reverse their positions. She ravished Catherine's mouth with her own and moved from there to her ear and continued down to her neck. She reached for the hem of Catherine's shirt and in one motion moved back and pulled it over her head. Her hands moved to cup Catherine's breasts one in each hand and her lips collided with Catherine's. Both women moaned their pleasure. Sara moved her knee between Catherine's legs and could feel the heat and it did wonders for her libido. She brought her lips to just below her ear and whispered "Where's your bedroom?"

Catherine didn't say anything she just joined their lips again and pushed Sara backwards. When their feet hit the stairs they almost fell but Sara managed to regain her balance and kept walking backwards. They bumped into walls and there would probably be new bruises in the morning but neither woman seemed to notice. Catherine steered them through the hallway and into her bedroom. When the back of Sara's legs hit the bed she fell backwards pulling Catherine on top of her. "Oh I like this position. Move up on the bed Sara." Sara did as she was told and Catherine found herself straddling her midsection. She just stared at the beauty below her. "If I had known you were hiding those breasts below those shirts all these months I would have torn your shirt off sooner. But then again I would have been surprised if they had been anything but perfect." Catherine slowly wiggled her body down Sara's body so that she could reach the waistband of the shorts then she continued to wiggle down as she pulled the shorts slowly down Sara's legs until they were free and she dropped them on the floor. "Damn those legs are magnificent." She kissed her way up those same legs paying attention to spots that seemed to elicit a moan or groan from the woman below her. She stopped at the apex of her legs and took in the scent that was uniquely Sara and she felt the wetness gathering between her own legs. "God you smell amazing."

"Cat are you sure you've never done this before because you certainly seem to know what you are doing?" Sara's had never felt anything as amazing as what Catherine's tongue is doing to her skin. She couldn't remember ever being this turned on this quickly. She was usually the one to dominate the love making and it was hard for her to give up that control but what Catherine was doing to her was overriding her need to be in control. Catherine had reached her breasts and took one in her mouth and was pulling the nipple into her mouth. "Oh god Cat that feels so damn good." Her hips bucked from the feelings that were going through her body, and Catherine's lips on her breasts sent a flood of liquid between her legs. She hadn't even heard Catherine talking until she realized she had stopped moving. "What…" She had to clear her throat to talk. "What's the matter?"

Catherine made eye contact before she spoke again. "I just wanted your attention when I did this." She felt the wetness as her fingers made their way to Sara's opening and slowly entered her. "Oh shit that feels so amazing. You feel so good, you are so wet."

"You should feel it from this end." She gasped when Catherine removed her fingers and plunged them back in. "Shit! Cat I may not last long."

"Last time I heard there's nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact I do believe that's my ultimate goal." She then gently bit down on Sara's breast as she continued to plunge her fingers in and out at an excruciatingly slow pace that she could tell was driving Sara crazy.

"I wanted it to last Cat." She could barely talk. Her hips were bucking to meet the frustratingly slow pace Catherine was setting. "God Cat are you trying to kill me?"

"Am I doing something wrong Sara?" Sara could hear the smile in her voice and knew Catherine was well aware of just what she was doing to her. "Do you want me to stop?" She asked far too innocently.

"Don't you dare stop. You know exactly what you are doing. Cat I'm so close."

When Catherine's thumb made contact with her swollen clit she heard her whisper. "Come for me baby." Sara crashed over the edge before she knew what was happening. She reached down and placed her hand over Catherine's to stop her movements. "You ok?"

"Don't move Cat." Sara's body jerked once more and she lay back still breathing heavy. She moved her hand but Catherine didn't move hers. Catherine kissed her gently and waited for her to come down. "Wow! That was the most amazing orgasm I have ever experienced." She looked up into the green eyes above her and felt an overwhelming tenderness. "I love you." She reached up and pulled Catherine's head down for a soul shattering kiss. As the kiss continued she realized Catherine's fingers were moving inside her again and to her surprise her body was responding. This time was nothing like the first time, this was not the gentle pace from earlier.

"I want to taste you Sara, will you tell me if I do something wrong?" All Sara could do was nod. Catherine's fingers never slowed as she lowered herself down Sara's body. She maintained eye contact with Sara the whole time as she kissed her way to her goal. As she positioned herself between Sara's legs she took in her scent again and actually felt light headed. She slowed her fingers as she took her fist taste of the woman she loved. "You taste as amazing as you smell, you have no idea what this is doing to me Sara." She removed her fingers and plunged her tongue as deep inside Sara as she could. She lapped up the juices and couldn't get enough of her. She reached up to hold Sara's hips in place so that she could renew her attack. She moved her mouth back to her swollen clit and her fingers replaced her tongue inside Sara and she set a frantic pace with both her mouth and her fingers.

Sara's hands were gripping the sheets and her head was thrown back. "God Cat are you sure you've never done this before…So close…Ohhh…Shit…I…Love…You!" She fell back completely spent and exhausted. "Cat come up here please. You have to stop." Catherine slowly removed her fingers and made her way up Sara's body with a satisfied smile on her lips licking her fingers as she crawled her way up. "Oh somebody's proud of themselves isn't she? And may I say you have every right to be. God that was amazing, I know I keep repeating myself but that was…amazing." She reached her hand up to touch Catherine's face but didn't have the strength to hold it up there long. "Look at that, it's dead." She lifted her hand again and it dropped to the bed. Sara turned her head toward Catherine. "Have I told you yet that was amazing?" Catherine smiled and nodded her head.

"Was that ok?" Catherine asked somewhat shyly

"My god woman do you really need to ask? Come here." Catherine moved as close as she could to Sara and rested her head on her shoulder. Sara kissed her and moaned when she tasted herself on Catherine's lips. She deepened the kiss and rolled over so that Catherine was beneath her. "You just gave me the most explosive mind blowing orgasm and you have to ask if it was ok? It was more than ok, much more than ok. It was…beyond words." She leaned down and kissed her neck. She sat up on her knees and brought one leg over Catherine's stomach so that now she was the one doing the straddling.

"Sara do you have any idea how sexy you look right now with nothing but a torn shirt on?" Catherine sat up and took one of her breasts in her mouth. "We should bottle your taste, we could make a mint. On second thought, I don't want to share you."

Sara pushed her back down onto the bed. "Behave, now it's my turn. What do you like Cat?" She lowered her head to take one of Catherine's breasts in her mouth while her hand cupped the other one. She reached behind her to the waist band of the shorts and lowered them as far as her hand would reach, Catherine used one foot to lower them to her ankle then kicked them in the general direction of the corner. "My imagination definitely did you an injustice. All the times I fantasized about doing this I had no idea how gorgeous your body really was. I had some idea what lay beneath those skin tight clothes you wore but you are…I can't think of any word I could use to do you justice." Catherine felt tears come to her eyes. She was so used to men just seeing her as a plaything so to be described in such a way was something she had never felt before. "Cat are you ok? Why are you crying? Do you want me to stop?"

"Just for a minute. I love you."

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Sara was wiping the tears from Catherine's face as she spoke.

"God no you did everything right."

"Then why are you crying?"

"For most of my adult life I have always been something for men to ogle or for Eddie to smack around. I never sold my body for money as Grissom may choose to believe or like some of the other dancers did. I sold my body for men to look at, there's a difference. I drew the line at prostitution. Have you ever been in a strip club for anything other than our job?" Sara shook her head much to Catherine's delight. "During a lap dance the guys were not allowed to touch you although many tried. That was as far as I let it go. I was called every word in the book while I was dancing and none of those guys saw me as anything but a piece of ass. Most of the men I have been with weren't much better than some of those guys. Some of them treated me as if I were still up on that stage and they had the right to do whatever they wanted to do. You make me feel cherished, something I have never felt before."

"You are cherished and I guarantee that I will never ogle you unless you want me to. When you give me a lap dance I will keep my hands to myself and I will pay accordingly."

"When? You just assume I am going to give you a lap dance?" Catherine was smiling as was Sara desired intention.

"It's one of my recurring fantasies and I had hoped you would be willing to make it come true." She looked at Catherine with hopeful eyes.

"It would be my pleasure, you want one now?" Catherine was completely serious.

"Oh no, that can wait. Right now I want to get back to worshiping this delectable body of yours. Don't move a muscle." Catherine shivered at the huskiness in Sara's voice. Sara took both of Catherine's hands in hers and raised them above her head then released them. "I just want to look at you." Her gaze started at Catherine's eyes. "I could drown in your eyes you know. I used to imagine what it would feel like to have you look at me the way you are right now. Pure, unadulterated passion." She placed a kiss on each of her eyes. "And those lips, I could kiss those lips all day. Maybe I will." She kissed her soundly. "Your neck was made to be kissed." And she kissed and sucked her neck. Catherine was already writhing under her tender assault. "Next we come to your breast. Your oh so lovely breasts. They feel as if they were made for my hands to hold. They fit perfectly." Sara held one breast in her hand and gave the nipple a little pinch that elicited a hiss of inhaled breath from Catherine. She lowered her mouth and worshipped her other breast with her mouth. "Your stomach is so flat and taut." She kissed her way to her belly button and licked her way around it.

"Sara this is torture. Sweet torture but torture none the less." Catherine's breathing was seriously labored at this point. She lifted her hips in anticipation. Sara pushed down on her hips and continued her exploration.

"Patience my dear. Then we come to those luscious legs."

"Hey! You skipped something."

"Tsk tsk, we'll get back to that. So impatient. Back to those legs." Sara looked up at Catherine with a sexy smile. "Put those hands back up there. I can imagine those legs wrapped around me, rubbing yourself against me."

"Sara, I need you now."

"Catherine, trust me it will be worth the wait. Remember I said I wanted to caress every part of your body but if you keep interrupting me you will have to wait longer. Now where was I?"

"My luscious legs, which by the way are nowhere near as luscious as yours."

"Thank you." Sara's hand slowly caressed Catherine's legs and each caress was followed by her lips. She found another ticklish spot behind Catherine's knee. "We'll come back to that later. Did you know that a woman's foot is an erogenous zone?" She slowly started to massage her foot and followed it up with her lips.

"Sara, those lips should be registered as lethal weapons. Do you have any idea what you are doing to me?"

"If the way your body is writhing is any indication, I would venture a guess and say I'm turning you on."

"Oh you most certainly are."

Sara slowly started kissing her way back up Catherine's legs. When she reached her core she breathed in the scent that was all Catherine. She kissed her swollen clit and inserted two fingers into her thoroughly wet folds. "You smell so good Catherine. And you taste even better." She worked her tongue faster and moved her fingers to match the rhythm of her tongue. In her heightened state of arousal it didn't take long for Catherine's climax to overtake her body. Sara slowly removed her fingers and as Catherine had done she licked her fingers as she moved up to hold Catherine in her arms. "I know I keep repeating myself but that was amazing."

"Hey shouldn't that be my line? I think I almost saw stars."

"Well then I'm going to have to work on my technique. You were supposed see stars. I must be slipping. I'll try harder next time. Speaking of next time…" She looked down at the woman in her arms and couldn't believe how lucky she was.

"Are you ogling me?"

"Is there a difference between staring lustfully and ogling? Because I believe I was staring lustfully. Yes definitely staring lustfully."

"Would you explain the difference to me because I believe they are one and the same."

"Ah see that's where my being a Dr. comes in handy." She took on the tone of a teacher instructing a student. "You see Miss Willows, ogling would mean that I was thinking about that lap dance and what you could do for me. Understand?" At Catherine's smile and playful nod she went on. "Staring lustfully means I was thinking about how your enticing body reacted to my touch and how much I want to see it reacting again. So ogling is what you can do for me, lustful staring is what I can do for you. Do I make myself clear?" Although Sara's voice held a hint of playfulness her eyes said otherwise.

"Ok then I guess we will agree that you were staring lustfully. And you still are. Did you know that when you are turned on your eyes are almost black? Usually they are a chocolate brown, like a puppy dogs eyes…

"Hey I thought you told Lindsey that I wasn't a puppy dog?"

"I said your eyes were like puppy dog's eyes. The kind of eyes that make you melt when they are directed at you. But when they are dark like they are now they not only make my heart melt, they make my legs go weak."

"Speaking of going weak."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

They lay in each other's arms in the afterglow of their lovemaking just talking about nothing in particular when the doorbell rang. "Sit tight, I will see who it is and get rid of them." She kissed Sara and put on her bathrobe and headed for the front door. She checked the peephole and didn't see anyone there. She looked out the window and still didn't see anyone. She felt fear in the pit of her stomach so she went to the closet and unlocked the case that held her gun and chambered a round and walked back towards the door.

"Catherine what are you doing?" Catherine screamed and jumped around to face Sara who stood at the top of the stairs in shorts and a T-Shirt. "Call Brass, do not open the door on your own. Where is the guard that is supposed to be outside the house?"

"I couldn't see him."

"And you were just going to open the door and check on your own? I'm going to call Jim. Hey Jim this is Sara. Yeah we're both doing ok. I think we may have a problem though. The doorbell just rang and we can't find either of the guards that are supposed to be on the house." She listened while he spoke. "Annie Oakley here has gun in hand and is ready to take on the big bad wolf at the door. Yeah we'll be waiting." Sara walked over to Catherine and took the gun from her hand and put the safety on. "As you may have surmised Brass is on the way and he is going to have a few choice words for you when he gets here. You may want to put some clothes on. As much as I like your current attire I don't think you should be answering the door in a barely there robe. God woman, even during a situation like this you are sexy as hell and I want to take you right here and now."

"Behave yourself, at least I was smart enough to grab my gun." As she turned to walk back upstairs, she put a little extra sway in her hips for Sara's benefit and had to laugh at the frustrated sigh she heard when she got to the top of the stairs. By the time she had changed into something more presentable she heard voices coming from downstairs. She heard Jim's voice over Sara's and he was not happy. She stopped at the top of the stairs to take in the scene in her living room.

Sara sat on the couch and was rifling through some pictures on the coffee table. "We have to make sure that Lindsey and Lily are ok." Sara turned when she heard Catherine as she entered the room. She tried to hide the photos and knew it was too late when Catherine sat down beside her and grabbed the pile of pictures. Sara stood up and started pacing the living room. "How the hell did he get the photos. The guys said we weren't followed here. Catherine call your Mom and make sure they made it there ok. They should be at their hotel by now. We have to keep them safe. Where the hell are the guards and how did he get close enough to the front door to leave these pictures?" Sara turned to see that Catherine hadn't moved and she was staring at one of the photos. It was a photo of her and Lindsey outside the house from earlier in the day when they came home from the hospital.

"It looks like he took out the guards, they were both tied up in the back and they are now going to be joining John on street patrol. I don't think he's after Lindsey or your Mom, he's trying to tell you he knows where you are. Maybe we should put you two up at a hotel or something until this is over."

Catherine spoke for the first time since coming back downstairs and she was angry. "No! He is not going to chase me out of my home. I want this over and done with before my Mother and daughter come home. We'll just have to step up the guards and find a way to flush him out and finish this. If he comes close to me or mine I will kill him myself." She held up the picture. "I was ready to take him on when he was messing with Sara but now he's threatening my daughter. Now he pissed off a mother. He's going to learn that when you piss of a mother and lover it's a lethal combination." She was so angry that she hadn't even realized that she just revealed to Jim the latest change in her relationship with Sara. "We can't just sit here."

"That's exactly what you are going to do. Both of you." He looked between the two of them. "You are going to stay here and let me do my job. It looks like I'm going to have to get more men." He stood up and pulled out his phone and walked out to the kitchen to talk.

Sara sat down next to Catherine and took her hand. "Mama Bear's got her hackles up eh?"

"You forgot the lover part." She leaned over and kissed Sara and pulled her closer. "I know you don't want or need it but I want to protect you. How dare he come to my home."

"Now you know how I felt for the last year I was in California. He invaded every aspect of my life, home, work and play. I found things on my windshield after work, when I got in my car in the morning and I even found a few things after I came out of a bar after I was out partying. You already know that there were things at crime scenes, I couldn't get away from him. Now I brought him here, I'm so sorry Cat." She dropped Catherine's hand and headed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going? Don't even think of leaving because that's not going to happen."

"But Catherine this is different."

"How is this different? So it's here and not the hospital? We knew there was a chance he would find out about Lindsey and now we just work around it. So just forget about taking off."

Brass came back into the living room as he snapped his phone shut. "Ok we will be doubling the guards and they will check with each other at regular intervals. I'm going to head back to the office to see if I can figure out how we can catch this guy and get this over with."

"Thanks Jim I guess we'll see you whenever we make it back to the office, hopefully not before then. No offense."

"None taken Catherine just don't think about taking him on yourself next time, you two be safe and I'll talk to you later." He opened the door as the squad car pulled up. "I'm going to check on the new guy's then take off." As he turned around Sara's cell phone rang and she groaned when she looked at the caller ID. She answered with a huff. "Yeah Gris what's up?"

"Sara I just wanted to call to see how you are doing. How are you?"

She gave Catherine an exasperated look. "I'm fine Gris, is t here anything else you wanted?" Catherine watched the different emotions flit across Sara's face. She unabashedly listened in to what Sara was saying and how she was saying it. Even though she knew Sara loved her she was still jealous of the relationship she had with Grissom and she felt threatened by the thought that he could win her over.

"Did you get my flowers?"

"Yes Gris I did get your flowers. It scared the shit out of me."

"Why would flowers scare you?" He asked in a completely innocent voice.

"You have no idea do you?" She was beginning to get angry.

"What do you mean?"

"Grissom how can you be so dense? Did you get the flowers and card that Catherine had sent over to you from my stalker?"

"Yeah but as you said before there probably wasn't any evidence on them so I threw them away."

"You threw them away? How could you throw them away? Did the guys even know about them? Did they even get a chance to look them over for the smallest thing that might tell us which florist they came from? Did you check the card to see if it was from one particular florist? I doubt it because you're not thinking with your brain. I don't think you're thinking at all because if you were you would have known what receiving more flowers would do to a person who is being stalked."

"But Sara I thought you liked flowers."

Now she was angry and she could not disguise it in her voice any longer. "God Grissom do you ever listen to what other people are saying? This man is invading almost every aspect of my life by sending me flowers, gifts and pictures of my family from right in front of my own home and I can do nothing to stop him and you don't find anything wrong with sending me flowers?"

"What do you mean your family?"

She turned to Catherine to see if she had heard the slip and from the smile on her face she surmise that she had. "I meant to say Catherine and Lindsey."

Catherine came up behind her and put her arms around her waist from behind and whispered. "I liked it better when you said family." She kissed her neck then came around in front of her and sat on her lap.

"Stop that Catherine." She whispered back.

"What's Catherine doing? Is she there with you?" Grissom could not stop the jealous whine from creeping into his voice.

"Duh Gris of course she's here it's her house."

"I meant is she right there beside you." Grissom had a good idea how close Catherine would be to Sara and it was driving him crazy.

Sara could not help what she said next even thought she knew it was mean. "No Gris she's not beside me, she's right in front of me sitting on my lap where she belongs. I don't want your flowers because they are too late. You had your chance and you didn't take it. The only reason you are doing anything now is because you see me as your property that Catherine has stolen me away. You can't steal something you never owned. No one owns me and Catherine understand that concept, something you obviously don't. I hope we can still work together as colleagues and maybe friends but there is nothing there for us Gris. I'm sorry."

"So there's nothing I can do to show you how much I need you?"

"I need someone who loves me not needs me. Catherine loves me."

Catherine rubbed herself against Sara and whispered against her neck. "I need you too baby."

"I meant I love you Sara."

"No Gris you always say what you mean and your needs come first and the love comes second and that's not what I need."

"What do you need baby? I know what comes first, that will be you as soon as you get off that phone." Catherine reached down to the waistband of Sara's shorts.

"Catherine behave. Gris I've got to go. We'll talk when I get back to work. Maybe by then you'll have worked through what you think you feel. Bye." She hung up the phone before he had a chance to say anything more. Catherine stood up and took Sara's hand and led her upstairs without saying a word. She walked into the bathroom then turned around slowly and pushed Sara up against the door. "You seem to like pushing me up against doors don't you?"

"Shhh, don't say a word." Catherine said with her finger against Sara's lips. "But to answer your question, yes I really like pushing you up against doors because it gets me this." She slammed her lips against Sara's. As the kiss continued Catherine worked on removing her clothes as Sara did the same. Catherine broke the kiss to turn around and turn on the water and adjust the temperature. "I hope you like hot showers, I like mine hot and steamy." She joined their lips again as she backed into the shower pulling Sara with her. The water washed over both of them as Sara took advantage of her position and pushed Catherine up against the wall.

"Would this be outside the realm of the careful the nurse was talking about?" Sara smiled as she walked under the spray of water and joined Catherine in the shower. "Let me check the list." She pretended to head back out of the shower.

Catherine grabbed her and pulled her against her body. "I hope not because this feels too damn good and if you stop I will kill you."

"Oh I have no intention of stopping as a matter of fact…" Sara lowered her lips to Catherine's breast and moaned when she came in contact with the now hardened nipple. "God Cat I love your breasts, I can't get enough of them." As she was saying this her hands were exploring Catherine's body. She licked and touched every inch of her body before her hand found its way down to Catherine's curls and without warning she entered her. "Oh my god Cat, you are so wet."

"Shit that feels sooo damn good." Catherine lifted her foot and rested it on the small shelf off the shower stall which gave Sara better access to her opening. "Yes! Damn!" Sara continued her assault on Catherine's body with her hand and her lips. Then she knelt down and lifted Catherine's leg over her shoulder and without stopping her fingers she latched on to her swollen clit with a moan. "God Sara, that feels so good" Her hips were bucking and her hand had a painful grip on Sara hair holding her between her legs. "Sara I'm so close I can't last much…" That was all she was able to say before she tumbled over the edge in a soul shattering climax. Sara didn't stop until Catherine forced her to stop. "Sara you have to stop I can't take anymore." Sara slowly removed her fingers and lifted Catherine's leg off her shoulder and stood up and took her in her arms.

"Are we actually going to take a shower or do you just like to play in the water?" Catherine giggled into Sara's shoulder. "Was that a giggle Ms. Willows?" Catherine nodded her head but still hadn't raised her head. "Are you hiding?"

"No just recovering. I've always been a very sexual person and I had thought I had experienced good sex but I'm beginning to realize that the right partner makes all the difference in the world." She finally looked up and rose up on her tiptoes to give Sara a kiss. "You are an amazing lover Sara Sidle and I think I could get used to having you around."

"Well why don't we finish this shower so I can show you some of the other things I've learned over the years." She reached for the soap behind her and started to wash Catherine's body. Catherine returned the favor but paid extra attention to the spots on Sara's body she remembered from her earlier exploration that elicited moans and soon Sara was breathing heavy and leaning up against the wall and she wasn't sure her legs would hold her. "Cat you have to stop or we will never finish this shower." Catherine reached up and removed the handheld shower from the hook and rinsed herself off then started to slowly rinse Sara's body. She cupped Sara's breasts as she rinsed them making sure to gently pinch and lick each one as she finished rinsing it.

As Catherine lowered the shower head to Sara's heated center she looked into her eyes and saw the depths of her passion and nearly dropped the shower because her knees went weak. "You are so beautiful." Catherine directed the spray back to Sara's throbbing clit and entered her with two fingers and set a frenzied pace. She watched Sara intently and was mesmerized by the beauty that was Sara in the throes of passion. She lowered her mouth to Sara's neck and took tiny nips as she made her way down to her breasts.

Sara threw back her head as she slid down the wall of the shower and when her climax hit she was writhing on the shower floor. "Cat, god stop I don't think I will ever be able to walk again." Catherine dropped the shower head and without removing her fingers she wrapped her lips around Sara's still swollen clit and renewed her attack. "Oh shit I don't believe you. God that feels amazing, I can't believe…" He hips were bucking to the furious rhythm Catherine was setting and she couldn't believe she was so ready again. Catherine moved up and without removing her fingers she straddled Sara's leg and started rubbing herself up and down her leg keeping pace with her finger thrusting in and out of Sara. Sara could tell that Catherine was close and she reached down between them and slipped three fingers into her dripping core and set the same frantic pace. "God Cat…" She could barely speak. She placed her lips against Catherine's ear. "Come with me baby." Both bodies tensed at the same time and soon their climaxes hit as if it was choreographed and they lay spent on the floor. Catherine was the first to move and she stood up and helped Sara to her feet and they finished their shower, dried each other off and hurried into the bedroom and dove under the covers. "That was amazing!" Catherine looked up to Sara and gave her a kiss then lowered her head to Sara's chest.

"You can say that again."

"No I can't I don't have the strength." They both laughed then Sara pulled her into her side and they both let out a sigh of utter contentment. Soon they were fast asleep with matching smiles.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Hey Warrick I think I might have caught a break. There was this guy named Timothy Trainor whose sister was raped and murdered about a year and a half before Sara left California. She talked to him the night of the murder. You know how Sara likes to scribble notes in the margins? She felt some bad vibes off this guy, look at this." He handed the folder to Warrick.

Warrick looked at the report and read the notes Sara had written. 'Gave me the creeps, asked for my phone number, , more interested in me than sister, kept touching my arm,' "Might be worth seeing if we can come up with a picture of this guy and ask the guard and the nurses at the hospital if it' s him. Did you do a search on him?"

"Yeah I did and guess what? There's a real nice picture of him, it's old but it should still work. Do you think maybe we should call Catherine and Sara and ask if they would take a look at it?"

"Yeah maybe we should go straight to the source instead of dealing with the hospital. They both know what he looks like so they should be able to identify him. Let's call first they might be busy."

"If they're busy they wouldn't mind stopping whatever it is they're doing to identify this guy for us right?"

"Are you in there buddy?" He knocked on Nick's head.

"What?" Nick asked as he was rubbing his head where Warrick had hit him.

"Man are you really that naïve? Do you have any idea what you might be interrupting?" Nick shook his head and looked at Warrick confusedly. "Stop and think what would you be doing with a fine woman if the two of you just hooked up and it was your first time alone after what they just went through?"

Nick blushed when it finally dawned on him. "Oh man you mean they're…Geez Warrick I didn't need to know that."

"Would you rather I let you rush over there and have them answer the door fresh from their bed?" Warrick had to laugh as Nick blushed even more. "Man we gotta get you a girlfriend. Let's call the girls and see if they're up to a visit."

Sara woke the next morning to hear her phone ringing. She didn't want to answer it because it would mean leaving the beauty in her arms. I could get used to waking up like this. "Cat do you know where my phone is?" Sara kissed Catherine and then jumped out of bed when her phone would not stop ringing. She started throwing clothes around the bedroom trying to find her phone. "I can hear it ringing but I can't find it."

"Do you remember where you had it last?"

"It was in the pocket of the shorts I had on yesterday, but someone threw my clothes all over the place and I can't seem to find them."

Catherine lay on the bed and watched Sara on all fours crawling around the bedroom floor. "If you want my opinion, if it keeps you on all fours naked then I hope you never find it." Catherine came up behind her and started kissing the back of her neck.

"Come on Cat it's driving me crazy."

"I should hope so."

"I don't mean you, I meant not being able to find my phone. Although what you are doing is driving me crazy too. But someone is trying very hard to get a hold of me."

Just then Catherine's phone started ringing and she looked to the bedside table where she usually put it but it wasn't there. "Sara do you know where my phone is?"

"Nope can't worry about it right now I need to find mine. Ah here it is." Sara shimmied out from under the bed.

"My phone?" Catherine asked.

"No mine." She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Warrick and she stifled a moan as she watched while Catherine was now on the floor trying to find her phone. "Hey Warrick what's up? I couldn't find my phone. She's still trying to find hers. Don't ask, you don't want to know." She laughed at something Warrick said. "Yeah something like that. So what's up? Really, I thought I went through every one of those cases with a fine tooth comb, how could I have missed that? Hey Cat would it be ok if Nick and Warrick came over with a picture to show us? They may have found our guy."

"Sure just hang up your phone and call mine so it will start ringing again so I can find it before they get here."

"Sure Warrick come on over. See you guys soon." She hung up the phone and turned to Catherine. "I know what you mean about that position on the floor."

"Don't start anything because the guys won't take long to get here. Call my phone so I can find it. Where the hell did I kick my shorts? I thought they went this way but I guess not." Sara was laughing as Catherine crawled around but somehow she made it sexy.

"How is it you can make something so not sexy, sexy?" Catherine wiggled her ass as she was reaching under the bed for what she hoped were her shorts. "Woman if you keep wiggling that cute ass of yours we won't be in any position to answer the door when the guys get here." She wiggled one more time and stood up and innocently turned to Sara.

"What's the matter baby? Are you ok?"

"You know exactly what the problem is. That sexy ass of yours could drive a saint to sin. Let's get dressed." When they finished dressing Catherine started a pot of coffee and they were both drinking coffee when they heard the doorbell, Sara pinched Catherine's perfect ass as she walked in front of her to answer the door. "Make sure you check first." Catherine gave her a look over her shoulder. "Well I just wanted to make sure you weren't too distracted and forgot." Catherine opened the door and Nick and Warrick stepped in. Warrick winked at Catherine and gave Sara a sly grin. Nick wouldn't make eye contact with either woman, Sara gave Warrick a questioning glance and all he did was laugh.

"Hey Nick why don't you show them the picture and tell them how you found it."

Nick still managed to avoid eye contact as he handed the picture to Sara and explained that he just kept looking through the file for anyone with a 'T' in his name and then came up with this.

"Yeah that's him. How is he connected to me?" Sara passed the picture to Catherine and watched her shudder at the unpleasant memory.

Nick finally looked up but looked down right away when he saw both women in shorts and T-shirts. He wasn't used to seeing them in anything less than pants or dresses. His mind went into over drive imagining what they had been doing. Man I'm going to kill Warrick for putting that thought in my head. "I was able to piece it together because of your habit of writing little notes in the margins of your unofficial reports. You wrote that this guy gave you the creeps. His sister was raped and murdered about a year and a half before you left California."

"Oh yeah now I remember him. He really creeped me out. He came in to identify his sister's body and spent more time hitting on me than grieving. He even asked me out as he was leaving. Wasn't even that good looking." She took the picture from Catherine to look at it again. "Still not good looking. So what do we do now?"

"Well you two go back to what you were doing and we'll get his picture out there and keep an eye out. We'll call Brass and tell him and make sure he distributes pictures to all of his guys. We'll leave this one with the guys on guard and tell them to pass it along to their replacements. You ladies enjoy your day and carry on with what you were up to when we called." Warrick was laughing when he slapped Nick on the shoulder. "Come Nick let's let the ladies continue whatever they were doing."

"Good job Nicky. Hey Nick you ok? You look a little flushed. Need some water or anything?" Catherine had an idea what was wrong and she thought she would play along with Warrick a little bit. "Are you hot or are you blushing. Ah look Sara he's blushing. What ya thinkin' about Nicky? What's got ya blushing like a virgin on her wedding night?" That made him blush even more. "Oh Nicky you had better develop a thicker skin or these guys are going to eat you up and spit you out."

"Speaking of eating you up." Sara wiggled her eyebrows grabbed Catherine from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder and looked up at Nick and Warrick with laughter in her eyes.

"Ok that's our cue to get the hell out of here." If it was possible Nick blushed even more as he headed for the door. "See you guys in a couple of days. We won't call again unless it's an emergency." He could hear laughter from behind him as he headed for his car.

"Hey Cat I'm going to go outside and sit for awhile. Want to join me?"

"Why don't I prepare something for us to eat and I'll bring it out when I'm done ok?"

"Sounds good." She walked up and pulled Catherine to her and brought their lips together. What started out as just a playful kiss turned into so much more. "It was nice waking up next to you this morning. Too bad the phone woke us up because I would have loved to snuggle with you."

"Mmmm I like the sound of that but we need nourishment. See you in a few." She reached up and gave her a quick peck on the lips and pushed her away. "Go."

Sara walked out to the back deck and sat down on one of the chairs. She looked back in the house to make sure Catherine couldn't see her before she pulled out her phone. She waited for the phone to be answered and without even a hello she spoke. "Jim I have an idea on how we can catch this guy."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Hey Cat, guess what we forgot about yesterday?"

"I think you are going to have to be a little more specific than that if you want an educated answer to that question."

"Remember what the nurse said about keeping our sutures dry? Well in your haste to get into the shower we forgot to cover our wounds and now I think I need to change my bandage, yours too I think. I'm going to take Manny for a walk to the drugstore around the corner to pick up some supplies. Anything you want me to pick up?"

"Quit talking about Manny as if he we a dog you are taking for a walk. While you're gone do you mind if I take a quick nap?"

"Of course not, did I tire you out?" She had a sly grin on her face as she said this.

Catherine put her arms around Sara's neck and pulled her down for a kiss. "No you did not tire me out, I just want to make sure I have plenty of energy to tire you out later."

"God woman you'll be the death of me." She smiled down at Catherine.

"Oh but what a way to go."

"You got that right. So I'll be back in about half an hour. Go take that nap and I will wake you up when I get back ok? Love you."

"Love you too. See you when you get back." She kissed her once more then pushed her away.

Sarah checked the window before she headed out to make sure there was a cop there. She opened the door and Manny appeared at the edge of the driveway. "Hey there Manny let's go for a walk. I need to head over to the store around the corner." She pulled out her phone as soon as they started out. "We'll be there in about 10 minutes." Manny walked ahead of her and as they rounded the corner she saw Brass standing next to an unmarked car police car.

"I just want to go on record as saying I do not like this idea one damn bit and Catherine is going to skin me alive if she finds out I went along with it."

"Your displeasure is duly noted and I will deal with the repercussions from Catherine and let her know it was all my idea and I forced you into it. Now let's hash this out and you can get back to me when the plan it ready to go. Let's walk around the store so I can pick up what I need." Sara bought what she needed and they headed back out. "Do not mention this to any of the guys either or it may get back to Catherine before we have a chance to implement it. I know you don't agree with me on this but I thank you for at least considering it." She gave him a hug and turned to Manny. "Let's head back ok?"

They walked in silence for the rest of the way as Sara went over the partial plan they had devised. Brass said it would take a few days to set it up and then he'd be in touch with her. Maybe I should wait until the stitches are out and I get a clean bill of health. She pulled out her phone and called Brass. "Hey Jim, let's plan this for after I get my stitches out, then it would be easier to get around and Catherine wouldn't ask too many questions." She listened for a while before she spoke again. "No I will not tell her because I don't want her to stop me, and we both know she would try. Ok talk to you later." She snapped her phone shut as they got to Catherine's house. "Well Manny thanks for the company. Are you on all day?"

"Naw I'm heading home and I'll be back later so I guess I'll see you then. Don't do anything crazy ok?"

"I promise I won't tonight."

"I guess that's the best I can expect from you isn't it?"

Sara smiled at him and opened the door. "Have a good night Manny."

"You too Sara." He turned around and headed back down the driveway.

Sara closed the door and headed upstairs where she hoped Catherine was still sleeping. She saw that the bedroom door was open just a crack, she peeked in and saw Catherine laying on her stomach half covered by a sheet. She quietly pushed the door open and stripped off her clothes and slipped under the sheet. She kissed Catherine's shoulder and then proceeded to kiss her way down her back and when she encountered the sheet she pushed it down inch by inch. Catherine still hadn't made a sound but Sara could tell she was awake because her hips rose up just a bit when Sara licked her there. If that's how she wanted it Sara would play along. She reached up and took hold of Catherine's hands and raised them up above her head, when she released her hold on them Catherine didn't move them. Sara smiled a secret smile, she liked this silent game but as she kissed her way down to the dip in her lower back and Catherine's hips rose up again it was all she could do not to groan.

Catherine couldn't believe what she was feeling and how fast Sara could make her want to scream. It took all of her will power not to turn over and attack Sara but what she was doing to her felt too good to stop. When she felt Sara move her hands above her head she had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning out loud. She wasn't sure why they were playing this silent game but it was a serious turn on. To keep from moving her hands she grabbed the bars of her headboard and held on for dear life.

Sara was halfway down her legs when Catherine jerked her leg away, oh a ticklish spot eh? She decided not to push it because she was too into pleasing both herself and Catherine. She knew that what she was tasting was not some fragrance from her bath, this was all Catherine in her natural state and it was quickly becoming her favorite flavor. She made her way down one leg and started up the other, by the time she reached the dip in her lower back again Catherine was writhing below her but still hadn't made a sound.

Catherine could taste blood from where she was biting her lip to keep from screaming. She was turned on beyond anything she had ever felt before and Sara hadn't touched her with anything but her tongue. God this woman had a talented tongue. No man had ever come close to making her feel as alive as she felt right now. She didn't know how much more of this she could take but she was willing to try just to see what Sara had in mind.

Sara wondered how Catherine was able to lay there so quietly. Her writhing body told her that she was just as turned on as she was if not more and her hands on the headboard were white from her grip but she still hadn't made a sound. I guess I'm just going to have to push a little more. Sara reached down with her hand and spread Catherine's legs apart but didn't do anything else. She could smell the essence that was Catherine and knew she was just as wet as she was. She didn't know if she could wait much longer. Catherine was almost on her knees and it was so sexy to see those oh so tight buns raised up and waiting for her to do something. She leaned over and lifted her hips up and kissed her back then without warning she moved her hand between Catherine's open legs and entered her with three fingers and moaned when she felt how wet she really was. "God Catherine you have no idea how turned on I am right now. You are the sexist woman it has ever been my pleasure to make love to." Sara's fingers set a frantic pace but Catherine's hips had no problem keeping up. Sara felt Catherine was getting close so she laid down on her back and positioned herself below Catherine's dripping center and pulled her down to her waiting tongue. She never removed her fingers from her as she lowered her. Catherine's moan was almost painful sounding but it was definitely born of pleasure.

"Oh my god Sara what the hell are you doing to me?" He hips started bucking against Sara's tongue and it didn't take long for Catherine's climax to overtake her. Her legs were shaking as she looked down at Sara and she couldn't help but laugh. Sara lay beneath her with the biggest smile she had ever seen. "Oh someone's definitely pleased with herself." Sara just nodded her head and smiled even bigger. Catherine's legs started shaking and she looked down at Sara again. "I can't hold myself up much longer so I think you're going to have to move so I can lay down honey." Sara wriggled out from under her then lay down and pulled Catherine to her. "Where the hell did you learn to do that? My legs are like jelly."

"Oh just something I picked up along the way. So I guess it would be safe to say you enjoyed it?"

"Oh my dear Ms. Sidle that would be a definite understatement." Catherine lay next to Sara totally spent, after a while Sara started to move and Catherine could do nothing to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back, go to sleep." Sara went into the bathroom and removed the dressing around her neck and saw the small drops of blood on the bandage. She inspected the incision and didn't see any major bleeding so she bandaged it up and threw the bloodied bandage away. "No sense worrying Catherine."

"Talking to yourself Sara?" Came the voice from behind her.

"Shit Catherine you scared the hell out of me. I thought you fell asleep."

"Obviously not. Are you ok? Is your neck ok?" She walked over to the garbage and picked out the old bandage and held it up.

"I'm fine, it's just a couple of drops." She took the bandage from Catherine and threw it back in the garbage.

"Can I take a look? Not that I don't trust you to be honest with me I just need to see for myself ok?" Catherine gave her her best puppy dog look and Sara buckled.

"That is so not fair Catherine. I have no defense against that look." She stood there and let Catherine remove the bandages she had just put on. She winced a little when she removed that last part that was resting against the incision.

"That hurts doesn't it. Why didn't you say something? Maybe we started this physical stuff too soon."

"Oh no you don't. You can't whet my appetite like that and then cut me off. You said we had three days."

"Not at the risk of your health. We can wait another day or two."

"Sure now that you're all worn out and tired you're going to throw me out like yesterday's garbage. Cat I'm fine. Let's put the bandage back on so I can ravage that delectable body of yours again."

"Quit pouting, I'm not going to jeopardize your health for a few hours of fun."

"I could go for more than a few hours." She leered at Catherine.

"God you are insatiable but this old lady needs the rest. We can have a quiet day, maybe take in a movie or find something to keep us busy." They were back in the bedroom by the time she finished talking.

"I can think of something to keep us busy."

"Are you always this way?"

"No, as a matter of fact I'm used to one night stands and leaving after my partner has been satisfied most nights I leave after I've tired them out and they fell asleep."

"Are you saying that most of the time you left unsatisfied?"

"They weren't you so I didn't want them to even touch me. I pretended they were you so I could make love to you but then I would leave and most times never see them again. Then I would go home and take care of myself." She said shyly.

Catherine sat up so she could pull Sara to her and she kissed the top of her head. "Oh Sara, I wish I had known. To think I've wasted a whole year keeping you at arm's length because I was afraid of getting hurt. I would go out for my one night stands and let them do whatever they wanted because I didn't think I had a chance with you. So much wasted time."

"So why are you wasting more time worrying about my neck?" She still had the smile on her face when she asked.

"Sara, we have the rest of our lives. Another day or two is not going to change my feelings for you or how much I want you. Now that I know how talented you are it will be hard for me to wait but sweetie I'd rather wait than have something happen that may cause us to have to wait even longer."

"Well I suppose if you put it that way. Want to snuggle up and watch a movie? What kind of movies do you have?" She grabbed Catherine's hand and headed out to the living room. "We can have a movie date. We kind of did things backwards, I think we were supposed to go out on a couple of dates before we made love. So let's have a date right here and now."

"Are you serious? Ok, let me get the popcorn, you look through the collection and pick out something." She came out of the kitchen with a big bowl of popcorn and beers for both of them. Sara was leaning against one end of the couch and she pulled Catherine down so that she was sitting between her legs. Catherine leaned back and Sara put her arms around her middle. "I never thought of you as the snuggling type but I like it." She said as she reached up and pulled Sara's head down for a kiss. "What movie did you choose?"

"Your collection surprised me, somewhat eclectic for a woman like you."

Catherine turned around and looked at her. "What do you mean by a woman like me?"

"You're so feminine and always so put together, but here in your home you are so different. I never pegged you for someone who would run around in shorts and a T-shirt or sweatpants but your drawer is full of them. You have every genre known to man in your movie collection. War movies Catherine? Who'd a thunk it?"

"Did you just say thunk Dr. Sidle? Is that what your Harvard education taught you?" Sara hit the play button and pulled Catherine back against her chest and settled back to watch the movie. "Sleepless in Seattle? You're a romantic at heart aren't you Sara?"

"Always have been always will be Ms. Willows."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Of course I want to know everything, that's why I'm paying you the outrageous sum of money that you've been getting for the last year. You can get close to her and they are none the wiser. So have you learned anything new?"

"Yeah she's planning something but I don't know what it is. Captain Brass is going to put it together and call her back when he has a final plan. I suppose I could volunteer to help, then find out what it is."

"I don't pay you to suppose I pay you to act. Get me the information I need so that I can get her alone. I want her and I will do anything to have her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Timmy I understand, I will talk to Brass to see if I can get a heads up as to what she has in mind. I will let you know everything I can just like I always have little brother. I've always had your back and this is one assignment I've really enjoyed. I've gotten to know both women and I can see what you like about Sara."

"You can't let your feelings get in the way though. We may have to kill Catherine to get to Sara. Will you be able to do that?"

"If that's what it takes, that's what I'll do. What about her daughter?"

"Her sleazebag husband will just have to step up and take care of her. Or maybe Grandma will do it. Sure was nice of her to get the kid out of the way for us, just one less thing to worry about. I draw the line a killing kids."

"I like that Timmy, a stalker with scruples."

"Yeah that's me. Now finish up your beer and go home so I can think about how we are going to carry this out." He stood up and headed to the back room.

"Ok Timmy I'll let you know what I find out from Brass."

"You do that Manny."

Sara could not believe how good it felt to just sit with this woman in her arms and do absolutely nothing. She was usually the type that had to keep moving and she hated sitting around her apartment doing nothing. She couldn't stand to be inactive, it usually drove her crazy. After a while she realized Catherine had fallen asleep and she was perfectly content to just hold her. She picked up the remote and changed the channel to the Discovery Channel and sat back to watch TV. After awhile she started to wonder if she could change Catherine's mind about not having sex. She lowered her hands to the hem of Catherine's shirt and rested her hands against her stomach. She left them there until she was sure Catherine was still asleep. She moved one hand to her breast and the other found its way to the soft curls between her legs. She started to rub her clit and soon Catherine was moaning and moving her hips in an effort to increase the pace of Sara's fingers.

"Damn Sara, this is so not fair. How am I supposed to fight it when you pull a sneak attack?"

"And why would you want to fight it? Come on Cat don't hold anything back I want to watch you come for me."

Catherine turned over so that she was facing Sara and crashed her lips against Sara's then rose up so that she was on her knees straddling her. As Catherine's hips moved to the rhythm Sara was setting it was easy for Sara to slip two fingers into her wet folds. "Damn, you feel so good inside me. Are you ok?"

"Oh I am much better than ok. How could I not be?" Sara reached down with her free hand and lowered Catherine's shorts to her knees. Catherine finished the job by lifting her leg and flinging the shorts across the room. When she lowered her knee she placed it between Sara's legs so that it was pressing against her heated center. "Oh shit Cat."

"What is it baby you don't like that?" Sara's answer was to rub herself against Catherine's knee which elicited a moan from both women. "Those shorts have to go." Catherine reached down and pushed the shorts down far enough for Sara to remove them using her feet. "Oh shit you are so wet. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Cat stop worrying about me and enjoy the ride ok?" Sara then inserted another finger and used her thumb to rub against Catherine's clit, soon they were both panting heavily and sweat was pouring off of them. Sara brought Catherine's head down to meet her lips and then she whispered "Come for me baby."

"Only if you join me." Catherine whispered back. Both women climaxed simultaneously and then Catherine collapsed on top of Sara. "Am I hurting you?"

"God no, you feel good just the way you are. You feel better than good actually." Sara reached up and pulled the blanket down from the back of the couch and covered both of them. "How are you doing?"

"Mmmm I do believe I have found my favorite place to sleep." She laid her head on Sara's chest and she just listened to her heartbeat. "Can I just stay here forever?"1

"You wouldn't hear any complaints from me." She adjusted her position just a little to make it more comfortable and then started running her fingers through Catherine's hair.

"Are you sure I'm not hurting your side? I could move." The tone of her voice said that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"No babe you are not hurting me, like I said you are just fine." Sara's voice was beginning to fade as she spoke, Catherine looked up and saw that she had fallen asleep so she moved as careful as she could and slipped off of her. She covered her and sat down on the coffee table and just watched her sleep for a few minutes. She looked so peaceful when she slept, the lines of worry that were usually present were all smoothed out and she looked almost childlike.

Catherine leaned down and kissed her brow then stood up and headed to the kitchen to start dinner. She thought about all that had happened in such a short time and once again her insecurities crept in. Was she going to be enough for Sara? Oh she knew she could keep up with her sexually she just wasn't sure that she was what Sara needed for everything else. They both had baggage that they brought into the relationship and she was hoping she was strong enough to help Sara deal with hers. She was preparing the salad when she heard a piercing scream from the living room. She dropped the lettuce and ran into the living room not knowing what to expect only to find Sara thrashing around on the couch. She was tangled up in the covers and the more she fought the more tangled up she got. She tried to grab Sara's arm but she screamed when touched her. "No Daddy don't hit me anymore. Please, I'll be good Daddy. I promise I'll be good." Catherine couldn't even imagine what must be going on in Sara's subconscious to illicit these pleas. She was able to get the blanket untangled and Sara seemed to calm down a bit but she was still in the throes of her dream. She screamed again and put her arms up to her head as if she were warding off blows. "No more Daddy it hurts!"

Catherine couldn't take watching her so she decided that the only thing she could do was hold her. She sat down on the couch and Sara swung out protectively and hit Catherine on the lip, she could taste blood but she couldn't worry about it now. She pulled Sara to her and put her arms around her and tried to soothe her the way she does with Lindsey during her dreams. "Shhh baby its ok. Sara its ok I've got you. Wake up sweetie. I love you baby come on." Sara still didn't wake up but she was calming down so Catherine just started rocking her and rubbing her back and humming. She didn't know how long she held her before she felt her breathing change letting Catherine know she was finally awake. "Are they always that bad?"

Sara didn't raise her head as she answered. "Believe it or not that one wasn't that bad compared to most of the ones I have." She finally lifted her head to look at Catherine and when she saw her lip she pushed away and stood up. "See, that's why I'm not safe to be around." She ran out to the kitchen and grabbed a towel and added some ice to it. "I'll leave as soon as I can. I am so sorry." She knelt down in front of Catherine with tears in her eyes as she gently cleaned the blood from her lip then held the ice on it. She looked up at Catherine expecting to see anger but Catherine had a smile on her face. "What?"

"This is why you aren't going anywhere."

Sara stood up again and moved away from Catherine. "What do you mean? How can you trust me to not do it again? I can't take that risk. I won't take that risk."

Catherine grabbed her hand and made her sit down beside her. "It was an accident and I will just have to watch out for swinging arms when you have another nightmare. I put up with a lot worse from Eddie when it was intentional so why wouldn't I handle this? I'm not letting you go so deal with it. You are not like your parents, did they show the kind of remorse you are showing? I bet not and that's why you are not like them and never will be. You are a kind and gentle soul and now you are mine." She brought Sara's hands to her lips and kissed the back of them and then pulled her closer so she could kiss her.

"Just make sure that you tell Lindsey to never try to wake me up because I couldn't deal with hurting her." Sara's eyes were pleading with Catherine to help her.

"Do you usually wake yourself up when you have these nightmares?"

"After a while I do, why?"

"Well we'll just make sure that we shut the door when you are sleeping and tell her to get me if you start screaming. How often do you have these dreams?"

"Every night. Sometimes a couple times a night. Then I usually can't get back to sleep."

"No wonder you look so tired when you come to work. I used to think it was because you were drinking all the time. I'm so sorry I misjudged you."

"I usually only drank on the nights I knew you had a date. That's why I stayed in my lab until you left so I wouldn't know if you had a date or not. There were nights when I wanted to see you bad enough to seek you out before you left and then I would regret it when I'd see you all dressed up for a date. And those times you came by my lab to say good night made me want to grab you and ask you not to go out."

"I wish you had, it would have saved us both a lot of heartache sweetie. I would see you in your lab and I wanted to ask you out for breakfast or anything but after you said no the first few times I quit asking. Why did you say no by the way?"

"Because I was afraid if I got too close to you you would see how I felt and it would give you one more thing to throw up in my face when we fought. I guess we were both afraid of getting hurt huh?"

"Ya think?" Catherine pulled her into a tight hug. "So I guess we need to work on our communication skills huh?"

Sara pulled back from her hug so she could look at her. "Ya think?"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It had been a week since they left the hospital and there had been no other presents left or sent by the stalker. They had gotten their stitches out yesterday afternoon and had lunch to celebrate. Lily and Lindsey came home last night but Catherine didn't want Lindsey staying at her house so Sam was putting her up at the Rampart and Lily was staying with her. Catherine and Sara had dinner with them and then after playing with Lindsey until she fell asleep they headed back home. They were sitting on the couch watching TV when Sara's phone rang. She saw the caller ID said Brass and she wondered if she could take the call without Catherine getting suspicious. "Sidle. Yeah Jim. Not really." She listened for awhile before she spoke again. "Ok I'll come by in the morning to clear up the details and we can go from there. Yes I will make sure Manny comes with me. Alright see you then."

"What was that about?"

"An old case I was working on is ready to go to court and he wants me to go over some of the evidence with the DA and one of the cops who is going to testify to make sure he's ready." She felt bad having to lie to Catherine but it was for her own good and she hoped she would forgive her when it was all over. "Why don't you go spend the day with Lindsey and I'll meet you at the Rampart after I'm done?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you know how long you'll be?"

"Depends on how fast the cop picks things up and if he remembers it, it could be a couple of hours or most of the day. You know how these things can go." She pulled Catherine down to sit between her legs again. "Want to fool around?" She was feeling a little desperate to be as close to Catherine as possible because she wasn't sure if Catherine would even be talking to her after tomorrow. This may be her last chance to hold her and love her. "Come on, let's go to the bedroom." She stood up and then reached down and placed one hand under Catherine's knees and the other behind her back and picked her up effortlessly. "I never realized how light you were."

"Sara put me down! You're going to hurt yourself." She started squirming to get free.

"I will if you keep squirming. Now stay still and enjoy my romantic gesture ok?"

"Oh be still my heart." Catherine put her arms around Sara's neck and rested her head on her shoulder. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

"You ain't seen nothin' yet baby." As she entered the bedroom she walked over to the bed and dropped Catherine on it.

"So much for romantic gestures. You'll have to work on your release my dear. You're supposed to place me gently on the bed not drop me from five feet up." Catherine scooted up so that she was sitting against the headboard.

"Oh really? How many times have you been carried into a bedroom my lady?" Sara grabbed her legs and pulled her down so that she could lie down next to her and hold her.

"Come to think of it, that was the first time anyone has ever done that for me." She reached up to untuck Sara's shirt and started unbuttoning the buttons.

"Well then how do you know that's the way it's supposed to be done?" Sara grabbed the hem of Catherine's shirt and pulled it over her head.

"That's how it's always done in the movies, the man places her gently on the bed and then she swoons over how strong and handsome he is and how wonderful he has made her feel." She pulled Sara's shirt off and threw it on the floor.

"Did I not make you feel wonderful and make you swoon?" She reached behind Catherine and unhooked her bra and removed it and it joined her shirt on the floor.

"Yeah right up until you dropped me on the bed." She reached down and unbuttoned her jeans and lowered the zipper.

"Shouldn't that get me at least a little credit?" Sara reached down and lowered Catherine's zipper then undid the button. She moved to the bottom of the bed and grabbed the pant legs and pulled her jeans off in one swift movement. She then removed her own jeans and panties. Catherine shimmied out of her panties and held out her arms for Sara.

"Ok I give you points for the gesture does that satisfy my lady?"

"Quite nicely my dear." Sara stared at Catherine and wondered if she would be here tomorrow or back at her own apartment lonely and sad as she was this time last week. Would Catherine ever trust her again once she found out she lied to her? Her eyes were so open and trusting as they looked up at her with passion, would that look be replaced by anger and hatred after tomorrow?

"Hey where'd you go? Why so sad?" Catherine brought Sara's head down and kissed her soundly. "What thought put that sad look on your face Sara?"

"I was thinking about where I was a week ago and hoping I would never be there again. You have made such a big difference in my life and this past week has been like a dream from which I hope I never have to wake up. Cat I'm so afraid your feelings are going to change and you realize you've made a big mistake."

"Oh Sara, I'm not going anywhere. I love you and nothing is going to change that. What brought this on baby?" Catherine lay down and brought Sara down with her and just held her. All thought of making love gone out of concern for why Sara was feeling so insecure.

"I've always been afraid that one day you would wake up and realize that I was too messed up to deal with. I've been so drugged up lately that the dreams haven't surfaced but now you can see the demons that follow me and invade my subconscious even when I sleep. Just look at your lip, I can't even promise it won't happen again. Why would you put yourself in that position? Why would you take that chance?"

"Because I love you. It's a simple as that. I love you and maybe it's not just the drugs that have kept the dreams at bay. Maybe it was having someone beside you to make you feel secure. Have you thought of that possibility?" She turned to look at Sara and saw that she was still looking pensive. "Sara, all I can say is that I love you very much. So much it scares me. It would take something pretty major for my feelings to change. Unless you are planning something catastrophic I will be here for years to come."

"Cat just remember I love you ok? I think I have since the first day I met you. I've never felt this way about anyone. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I can honestly say I have never felt that way about anyone before. Even during some of our biggest fights you have always been the one for me. Can you remember that?"

Catherine sat up and looked down at Sara but she wouldn't make eye contact with her. "Sara you're starting to worry me. What's up? You're not planning on taking off are you? Don't do this Sara. We can work it out ok?"

Sara looked up at Catherine with sad eyes. "No Cat I'm not planning on running away. I guess my insecurities have ruined the mood huh? Can I just hold you?"

"Forever if that's what you want." Catherine lay down next to her and put her head on Sara's shoulder. Neither woman said anything more because they were both lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't long before Sara fell into a troubled sleep but it took much longer for Catherine to fall asleep. She was worried about what was wrong with Sara. She could tell there was definitely something on her mind but she didn't know how to get through to her. She laid her head on Sara's chest and fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning she was alone in the bed. She jumped up out of the bed and without even bothering to put on any clothes she ran out of the room worried that Sara had left while she was sleeping. She checked the bathroom and could tell that Sara has recently taken a shower so she ran down the stairs and was finally able to release the breath she didn't even realize she was holding when she saw Sara in the kitchen. She stopped at the door and just took in the sight of Sara with head phones on cooking and dancing. When Sara turned around she jumped when she saw Catherine standing there then burst out laughing. She took the head phones off and went to put her arms around Catherine. "You thought I took off didn't you? I told you last night I was not running away. I made a promise and I keep my promises. Aren't you a little bit chilly?" Catherine looked down and for the first time realized she was so worried that she ran out of the bedroom totally naked. "Not that I mind your attire, or should I say lack of attire? Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed and I'll finish the pancakes. I was going to serve them to you in bed but you ruined the surprise."

"We can still eat it in bed." Catherine gave her a sly grin.

"I have to meet Brass in an hour so we can't start anything ok? But you sure are making a good argument for skipping the meeting but it's something I have to do. Now go get dressed and I'll be up soon." Sara pulled her against her and kissed her until both were breathing hard. 'Keep those thought for later tonight." She turned her around and spanked her bare behind and pushed her away before she grabbed her and took her upstairs and forgot all about her plans. She knew what she had to do was too important to put off any longer so she couldn't let herself be distracted. She finished the pancakes and put everything on the tray she already had prepared. She walked up the stairs and Catherine was sitting on the bed with her back resting against the headboard. She took a moment to take in the beauty before her and once again prayed that she would forgive her for what she was about to do. "You are so beautiful." She brought the tray over and set it in front of Catherine. "So are you going to go over to the Rampart this morning?"

"I thought 'dI get some laundry done then head over there. You'll call when your meeting is done?" Catherine started on the pancakes. "Oh my god these are great. What did you do to make them taste so good?"

"Ah that's a Sara Sidle secret. It's my way of ensuring that you will keep me around so you can have them again."

"I guess there are many talents that you've kept a secret aren't there?"

"Just one more reason to keep me around eh, gives you time to figure all of them out. It will take time for me to open up completely but you already know the worst. The rest are just little things about me like my pancakes." She glanced down at her watch and saw that it was time to leave. She had to make sure she convinces Catherine that everything is fine so she doesn't get suspicious. "Well babe I've got to get going if I'm going to be on time. Hopefully this won't take long and I'll see you soon. I know I don't need to say it but make sure someone is with you when you leave here ok? I love you very much and I will see you soon. You're on clean up duty, I cooked." She smiled down at Catherine then walked over to her side of the bed so she could kiss her. She pulled Catherine to her and gave her a kiss that she hoped would tell her how much she loved her. "I love you." She turned to leave and hoped she could make it out of the house before she started crying.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"So Manny why don't we take your car to the station and then you can drive me over to the Rampart after I take care of things ok?"

"Whatever you say Sara. What are you up to today?"

"I'll clue you in after I've talked to Brass to see what kind of plan he has come up with. Right now I'm not sure what the plan is but since you've taken it upon yourself to be my personal guard I'm sure you'll be involved. Can I sit in the front with you?"

"Sure hop in." As Sara walked around the back of the car she failed to see the satisfied grin on Manny's face. "So were headed over to the station to meet with Brass right now?"

"Yeah, you mind if I close my eyes for awhile, I didn't sleep good last night?"

"Sure go right ahead I'll wake you when we get there."

"Thanks Manny you're a lifesaver." She turned and rested her head against the cool window and promptly fell asleep.

Manny couldn't believe how lucky he was. He hadn't been able to find a way to figure out what Sara and Brass were planning but it looked like without even trying he would be right in the middle of it. Timmy was going to be proud of him. Now all he had to do was find a way to separate Sara from the rest and bring her to Timmy. He could do it now but if Brass was expecting her it would be best to take her there so he didn't start a search too soon. He would find a way to get her out to Timmy's house later. Maybe after the meeting when she thinks I'm taking her to the Rampart.

"Sara we're at the station." He pulled into a parking spot as she woke up and looked around the parking lot.

"Wow I must have really been tired. I appreciate you letting me sleep. It may not have been long but a cat nap always revives me. Let's get this started." She opened the door and headed towards the building. She knocked on the door when she came to Brass' office.

"Come on in." Jim looked up to see Sara and Manny standing there. "Sara how are you feeling? Are you sure you are up to this?"

"Yeah Jim, I just want to get this over with. So what's the plan?" She sat down in the chair in front of his desk while Manny stood by the door.

"We've got a house set up as a crime scene, we know your stalker has been following you so he will follow you to the crime scene and when he shows up we grab him."

"How do you know he'll show up at the crime scene? He'll know it's a trap. Or he'll see the guys watching the scene. Or see you guys following me."

"You and Manny will go over there by yourselves. Manny will relieve the officer on the scene so it will only appear to be the two of you on scene. That should make him feel secure enough to take out Manny and try to take you. We've already got teams in place around the house so he will not see anyone following you." He handed a piece of paper to Manny. "Here's the address where all this is set up. I'll be there in about 10 minutes to follow up."

Sara stood up and headed towards the door. "Ok let's do this. Come Manny, you ready to get knocked out?"

Manny smiled at her. "I'll do whatever I need to do to. I'm going to use the bathroom then we can take off." He headed out of the room and down the hallway. He pulled out his phone as soon as he was around the corner. "Hey Timmy I'll be delivering Sara to you in about 15 minutes." He listened as Tim was talking to him. "Yeah they have a plan and I'm part of it but instead of taking her to the house they have set up I'll bring her to you." He laughed an evil laugh as he hung up the phone. He turned around and returned to where Sara was waiting at the front desk.

She was pacing back and forth and when she saw Manny she headed for the door. "Come on Manny I can't wait to get this guy. I want to look him in the eye when we catch him."

"I'll make sure you get the chance to look him in the eye Sara. Let's go. Do you want to sleep again?" He said as he opened the car door for her.

"No I'm too stoked right now. You got my back Manny?"

"You want to see this guy I will make sure you get to see him." He started the car and drove off.

Sara was looking out the window as he drove off. "Hey Manny what's the address of the house we're going to" As she started to turn towards Manny she felt the jolt of electricity go through her body as Manny hit her with the stun gun. She felt all of her muscles go slack within seconds and she knew she was in big trouble. It's amazing what thoughts go through your mind at a time like this. The first one of course it 'shit what the hell just hit me?' The next thought is 'shit Catherine's going to kill me'. Then the anger and frustration hit you because you can't do anything about it. Your body is essentially paralyzed and you can tell your brain to do something but because of the charge from the stun gun it doesn't listen. Sara could just look up at Manny as he continued to drive toward wherever he was taking her.

"You know Sara you're a good person and I can see why my brother likes you. He's been in love with you for a long time and you could never see that could you? You always thought he was a sick deranged stalker when in reality all he wanted to do was show you how much you meant to him. If you don't feel the same I would advise you to find a way to make it work or he will kill you. Oh look we're here and Timmy is waiting for us." He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. "Hey Timmy give me a hand carrying her in."

"My pleasure. Hello Sara, I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. You haven't made things very easy my dear. As a matter of fact you have made it very difficult but now that you are here let's take you inside and make you comfortable. You've really pissed me off over the last week or so, you've been a big disappointment to me." He grabbed her legs and pulled her out of the car before Manny could catch her head and he watched as it hit the ground with a thud and Sara winced at the pain. "Oops, did that hurt? Sorry, hey Manny why don't you grab her head so we can get her into the house."

The effects of the stun gun were starting to wear off so Sara started to fight to get loose but before she knew what happened Manny dropped her and started zapping her. So not only did her head hit the ground again, she got shocked but this time he held the gun on her for a longer time. All she could do was lay there and take the abuse. "Ok I think that's enough for now Manny. Let's get her inside." Manny picked her up and they took her to the back room and dropped her on the bed. "Tape her up and make sure she can't get loose. Make sure it's good and tight." Tim turned and left the room.

Manny took one hand and taped it to the headboard and then walked round to the other side. He did the same with the other then looked up at Sara with a grin that was so evil it made Sara cringe. "I haven't told Timmy about you and Catherine yet. What do you think he'll do when he finds out? Personally I think he's going to go ballistic, then he'll kill you and then go find Catherine and kill her too. But first I'm going to let him have his fun with you. He plans on taking you to California and setting up a nice little house on the beach so maybe I'll let him take you there first then we'll see if your friends can find you." He finished taping her ankles then stood up and tested them to make sure the tape was tight. "Comfy?" He turned to leave the room then turned back. "You can scream all you want because no one will hear you out here. We are so far from anyone or anything that it will take a miracle for your friends to find you. That's if they find you before we leave."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Where the hell is she?" Brass was pacing back and forth in the front yard of the house where everything was set up to trap her stalker. "I always had a bad feeling about this and now we can't find her. Did you try her phone again?" He turned to the officer to his left.

"Yes sir I've tried 3 times and it just goes into voice mail." He looked at his superior and saw the worry in his eyes. "And I've tried Officer Garcia's just as many times and he's not answering either."

"Well keep trying. I guess it's safe to assume he either has both of them or Manny was in on it. Did anyone see what direction they went in when they left the station?"

"Most of us were already here sir. Maybe they had a flat or something and that's how he got them. There aren't too many routes that they could have taken to get here. So we can check those routes. But don't you think they would have called?"

"Ok Palmer let's get every available unit out on the street searching for Garcia's car, report to me when they find something. They have to be out there somewhere. I'm going to head back to the station and figure out how long I wait before I go talk to Catherine. She is going to kill me." He hung his head as he headed towards his car. "Why the hell did I listen to Sara and let her talk me into this? Now I have to tell the CSI's I screwed up gain and let this guy get to her. This day couldn't get any worse." He got in his car and rocks and gravel flew as he spun the tires. All the way back to the station he tried to figure out how he was going to tell Catherine. He decided to head over to the Rampart instead of going to the station. "Better get it over with now. If I wait any longer she'll yell because I waited too long." He pulled into the drive of the Rampart and threw his police placard in the window and headed in. He called the officer guarding Catherine and asked for the room number then he headed towards the elevator. "Damn I hate this job sometimes." He walked out of the elevator and looked down the hallway and saw the officer standing outside a door about halfway down the hallway. He walked towards the door then stopped by the officer. "Take a break ok." He stood at the door then took a deep breath and knocked.

Catherine was on the floor playing with Lindsey when she heard the knock on the door. She looked at her watch and thought it was too soon for Sara to be done already. She looked out the peephole and saw Brass standing there. She opened the door and didn't like the look on Jim's face. "Why aren't you with Sara?"

Jim poked his head into the room. "Lindsey I'm going to take your Mommy for a little walk we'll be back soon." He gave Lily a look that asked her to watch Lindsey. He reached out and took Catherine's elbow. "Let's go for a walk."

"Jim where the hell is Sara? Where is she?"

"I guess I won't beat around the bush, he's got her." He was glad he still had hold of her arm because her legs gave out as soon as what he said hit her. He led her to a chair at the end of the hallway and sat her down. "Do you need anything, water or something?"

She sat there for a minute before she was able to say anything. "Let's go down to the bar, I need a drink. Then you are going to tell me what the hell happened." He started to talk but she held her hand up for him to be quiet. "I don't want you to say anything until we get downstairs." He helped her up and held her arm until they got to the elevator, once they got inside and the door closed Catherine moved over to the back corner and tilted her head back so it was resting against the wall. As soon as the door opened Catherine headed to the bar and sat down at a table in the back corner, when the waitress came over she looked up. "Whiskey straight up, make it a double." She then turned to Brass. "Now tell me how the hell he could have gotten her when she was supposed to be at a meeting in your office?"

"There was no meeting in my office. That's just what she told you to get you to let her leave without worrying." He looked up as the waitress brought Catherine's drink. Then watched her down it in one gulp then order another one. "Hey take it easy."

"Don't Jim, this is not the time. Whose idea was this and what went wrong?"

"I tried to talk her out of it but she was bound and determined to do it. She came to me and told me she wanted her life back and she felt going after him was the only way it was going to happen. Between the two of us we devised a plan to get him to come to us. All we know right now is that she and Manny never showed up at the house."

"So what has been done to find her? And how long has she been missing?"

"I was supposed to show up at the house about 10 minutes after Sara. So I guess it's been about an hour. There were three officers at the house waiting for her but she never showed up. We've checked the route they should have taken and there were no accidents or reason they would have been delayed. My guys are still out looking for them as we speak."

"What about the GPS on his car? Aren't all police cars outfitted with GPS?" Her second drink arrived and she downed it as fast as the first one.

Jim sat there and watched his friend and he'd never felt so helpless."Manny suggested they switch to his personal car so as not to scare the guy off when they showed up at the scene. I think it's safe to say he was in on this from the start."

"When did he join the force?"

"Hang on let me make a call." While he was talking on the phone Catherine thought back to last night and now she knew what was on Sara's mind. Jim looked up as he was talking and he cringed at the look on Catherine's face. He wasn't sure he wanted to hang up the phone and face her wrath right now. When he got the information he needed he hung up and looked at Catherine. She seemed to be in her own world right now and it didn't seem to be a happy place. "He started about a week after Sara got to Vegas. He came from the same part of California that Sara did. It appears he's been following her from the start."

"I'm going to go upstairs and say good bye to Mom and Lindsey then we are going to the office and get everyone to work on this." She stood up and headed out of the bar leaving Brass to pay the bill. He was waiting for her to blow up but so far there was no sign of the Willow's anger and he was wondering how long it would take for her calm to break. It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes before she was back and from the looks of it she was even angrier than when she left. "Let's go." She headed towards the door without even breaking stride. Jim had to almost run to keep up with her, he was able to get to the passenger door just in time to open it for her.

"You want me to call the guys and bring them up to speed before we get there?" Jim asked her as he got in the car.

"That would probably be a good idea. Tell them to do checks on both men. Check everything. How are they connected, how do they know each other and how long have they known each other. Tell Archie to see if there is any way we can track either one of them." She waited until Jim was done making his calls before she spoke again and when she did she held nothing back. "How the hell could you let her talk you into doing something so fucking stupid Jim? No don't talk! Do not say a word. She's still recovering from her injuries and not even ready to go back to work and you let her do something like this." She was yelling through the tears she had been holding back from the minute she saw Brass at the door. "I know you are a good cop but sometimes I gotta wonder about some of the decisions you make. I don't blame you for her getting taken I blame you for putting her in a position where she could be taken. If Manny really is involved, which I don't doubt, then he could have taken her anytime but he needed a time and place where he would have enough time to get her away without anyone being the wiser. You handed her to him on a silver platter. I don't envy you having to talk to Grissom. I'm staying away from that one. Don't think I'm done with you yet but right now I am going to focus all of my energy on getting her back. When we do get her back, and we will, you will owe me big time. You can breathe now."

He turned to her and saw that the tears were falling freely and he didn't know if there was anything he could say to make things any better. "Sara is like a daughter to me and I felt sick when I got to the house and she wasn't there yet. I was fooled by Manny, he seemed so genuine and he seemed to honestly care about protecting Sara. Now we both know it was just a ruse to stay close to her. I will do anything in my power to find her."

Catherine reached over and put her hand on Jim's arm. "I know you will Jim and I also know how much you care for her. I just needed to vent and now that I have we can get down to business. Now that we are here I will leave you to your meeting with Grissom and go see my guys to get things rolling." She got out of the car almost before he had it stopped and headed into CSI headquarters. She went straight to Archie's lab and when she entered she wasn't surprised to see Warrick and Nick there too. "Anything guys?"

"Catherine I'm so sorry about this, how you holding up?"

"I'm fine Warrick what are our options?"

Archie looked up from his computer screen. "I checked the GPS on her phone and it's stationary at a spot downtown and I needed to wait for someone to give me the authority to send someone to check it."

Catherine pulled out her phone and called dispatch. "Yes, this is CSI Willows, I need a unit to check near the 4000 block of Koval for a phone belonging to one of our CSI's. Have them get back to me at this number. Thanks." She turned to Warrick. "I want you to do a search on Manny Garcia, find out anything and everything on him. And I mean everything. Nick I want you to do the same for this Tim guy." They both turned to the computers and started their search.

"Where's Brass?" Warrick asked as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Catherine laughed a slightly evil laugh. "He went to tell Grissom what happened."

"Oh man I don't envy him. Twice in one week, man that's tough. What did happen? How the hell did this guy get a hold of her?"

"Well Nicky apparently behind my back she's been planning this with Brass. They set up a crime scene and they were going to trap him there. On paper it looked good but there was one variable they hadn't planned on and that was Manny. It looks like he's been watching her since she got here. He moved from California about the same time she did. Started on the force about a week after she got here. This just shows that this guy Tim has been patient up until this point but something caused him to step up his pursuit of Sara. Let's see if we can figure out what that something was, maybe it will help us." Catherine's phone rang and she picked it up and answered. "Willows. Yeah, ok thanks." She hung her head for a minute then took a deep breath before she spoke. "They found Sara's phone and purse in an ally which officially puts Manny on my shit list. That son of a bitch is mine when this is all over. I want 5 minutes alone with him. Maybe his balls can join that pig in a jar on Grissom's shelf." The three men in the room cringed at the thought.

Brass walked in the room about 10 minutes later and the look on his face told them that the discussion he had with Grissom went exactly as Catherine thought it would. "So Jim how's your day going?"

"Shut up Warrick." He walked over to Catherine and put his arm around her and she let him. "How are you doing?"

"Better than you from the looks of it." She gave him a smile to show her support. "I've realized over the last week that when Sara wants something she will do everything in her power to get it." She actually blushed at remembering some of the things she and Sara did over the last week and it didn't go unnoticed by the guys in the room. "I also know how persuasive she can be. That doesn't mean you are off the hook but it means I understand. Now let's put our heads together to find her and get her back. Jim I think we are going to need some search warrants for the financials on these two guys."

"I'll get on it. Anything else?"

"Let's start with that." Catherine started pacing because at the moment there wasn't anything else she could do.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sara's wrists were raw from where she had been twisting them to try to get loose. "I am going to hunt down and kill the man who invented duct tape. This shit is impossible to get out of."

"Talking to yourself Sara?" Tim Trainor asked from the doorway. "I guess now would be a good time to properly introduce myself, my name is Tim Trainor." He came over and sat next to her on the bed.

"I know who you are because my friends already figured it out and it won't be long before they find me." She saw the slight look of fear cross his face. "Yeah they found the file on your sister and put two and two together. By this time they will be digging up everything on both you and Manny that they possibly can and they will find this dive too. You're sick you know that?"

His hand was lightening quick and made contact with her cheek before she even had a chance to react. She felt the sting long after his hand left her face. "I love you, how can you say that about me. I've sent you gifts for years. I even bought your beach house to bring you back to so you could be happy again. Look around you, this is all for you."

"This isn't love this is obsession."

"This room is exactly like your bedroom in the beach house. Don't you think that's a loving gesture? This whole house is just like your beach house." His hand was caressing her cheek and Sara tried to move her head away but he grabbed her face and turned it towards him. "Do not turn away from me." His grip on her face was viselike and excruciatingly painful. "Your time for fighting has run out. No one is coming to save you this time. Your precious Catherine is probably going crazy with worry right about now isn't she?"

"You don't know how tenacious she can be once you've pissed her off and I think it's safe to say you've pissed her off."

"Well maybe we will have to change plans and get out of here sooner rather than later. I wonder if they will think to look in California." He stood up and started walking around the room. "Why is it so hard for you to accept my love?"

"Because I don't love you back."

"Ah, but you will, you will come to love me. You will learn to love me or just learn to live with it. Either way we will be together."

"You can't make someone fall in love with you, it just doesn't happen that way. I don't now and I never will love you."

Once again his hand made contact with her jaw but this time it was a closed fist. "If that's the way it's going to be then so be it." He brought his face close to hers and whispered. "You're going to regret that." He grabbed her around the neck and started squeezing. "Maybe I should finish what I started at the hospital." Sara didn't have the strength to fight him as he hit her twice more before she lost consciousness, he hit her one more time for good measure then left the room. "Manny, I think we'll take her with us whether she wants to go or not. I thought she'd go willingly but she won't so we'll have to drive instead of flying it will take a bit longer but it will work. When we leave all I need from this place is the hard drive from my computer. Can't let them get their hands on the information I've got in there. If there's anything you need you might pack it now because we might have to leave in a hurry."

Sara slowly woke and her face hurt like hell. She tried to move her jaw from side to side, it hurt but at least it moved. She started struggling again in hopes that maybe she could loosen the tape just enough to be able to move her hands. If she could get them close to her teeth she could rip the tape but there was no give in the tape. The only thing that ripped was more of her skin off of her wrists. "Damn I hope the team comes up with something because I can't get myself out of this one." She started crying when she realized that she may never see Catherine again and she hoped that she could forgive her for doing what she did. She hoped that Brass would be able to convince her that she did it because she thought it would be best for both her and Catherine if she caught this guy. "How the hell was I supposed to know that Manny was part of this the whole time."

"That was all part of the plan."

She turned her head and was barely able to open her swollen eye to see Manny leaning against the door frame. "Come on Manny let me go." She said in a weak voice. "I'll take off into the desert and you'll never see me again."

"How long do you think it would take him to catch you? Not long, if you think your face hurts now that's nothing compared to what he would do to you when he caught you and brought you back. When my little brother sets his mind on something he will stop at nothing to have it. You remember our little sister that was raped and murdered? Of course you do that's when his obsession with you started. You see Timmy is my adopted brother. My parents thought he was the sweetest kid in the world. Everything that went wrong was blamed on me or my sister, Timmy could do no wrong." She heard the bitterness in his voice. "When in reality he was the one who did all of the things that got us in trouble and he didn't hesitate to let us know. He actually bragged about it. He was also the one who killed Tess, our sister. He wanted her even more than he wants you. When she refused to comply with his wishes, well you saw the results of his handiwork on the coroner's slab in San Francisco. I heard it wasn't pretty." Sara shuddered at the memory of the wounds on the woman he was talking about. "I see from your reaction that you remember what she looked like. Timmy made sure he came home and told me all about it. He also told me about you, he said you would be his."

"You talk as if you hate him yet you do what he tells you to do, why is that?" Sara watched as he pulled up the chair and sat down.

"Well Sara that's a long story. But to make it short, he's got all the money and he's helped me out of a few jams and I owe him big time. He said if I do this for him the slate would be wiped clean and he would no longer hold a certain incident over my head. If it weren't for him I never would have made it on the force, he wanted to make sure I'd be able to follow you. You should see what he can do on a computer, it's amazing, he can change records or even delete complete records as if something never even happened. That's what he did for me. That's why I owe him this one thing. Then I am done with him."

"If he's so great with computers why did it take so long for him to find me?"

"Oh he knew where you were as soon as you landed here maybe even before the plane took off. He just had a job he had to do that took longer than he thought it would. But he's kept tabs on you and I've been able to follow you too."

"So your debt is paid off by delivering me right?" He nodded. "Then why can't you let me go and let me take my chances?"

"Because he would kill me then come after you. I value my life too much to let you go."

"You know that Catherine and my friends are not going to let you get away with this don't you? You have to know that you will be a wanted man. You fucking kidnapped a police officer Manny, that's a federal offense."

"What are you two talking about?" Sara looked over Manny's shoulder to see Tim standing by the door.

Manny turned around and looked at his brother. "I was just explaining to Sara why it wouldn't be a good idea for me to let her go and why I did what I did in the first place. She's been asking me if I would cut the tape and let her go free in the desert." He turned back to Sara. "He knew you would try to talk me into letting you go and he knew there was no way I'd do it."

Tim walked over to the bed and hit Sara again. "That's for even thinking about leaving me." They all heard the cars at the same time. Manny and Tim ran from the room grabbing the guns at their sides.

Sara lay back on the bed and just prayed that this would be the end of this ordeal. She heard gunshots coming from outside the house and then she could hear Brass shouting directions. Just when she thought it was over Tim came back into the room and put Sara and the bed between him and the door and put the gun to her temple. "If I die you die too so say good bye Sara."

Sara turned to the door and saw Brass and two other officers standing there with their guns drawn. "Shoot him Jim!" Sara yelled from the bed.

"I can't he'll shoot you." He looked at her bruised and battered face and knew he couldn't pull the trigger.

Sara just stared at him and maintained eye contact. "Jim, just shoot him."

Brass made eye contact with Tim and moved his gun to a ready position then looked back at Sara.  
"Are you sure?"

She looked Jim square in the eye. "Do it."

Jim looked at her one more time before he turned his attention to Tim. "Ok."

"No don't shoot I give up." Tim threw the gun over the bed and it landed at Brass' feet. He stood up with his hands in the air and walked around to the end of the bed. "I give up."

Brass handcuffed him then turned to Sara. "Are you ok?" He took a knife out of his pocket and cut the tape on her right wrist. He turned back to the cops standing at the door. "One of you get Catherine fast." He turned back to Sara and cut her other wrist free.

"I'm hurting a little but hey I'm alive right?" Just as she said this Catherine came running into the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Sara's face. Brass cut the rest of the tape on her ankles.

Catherine looked at Sara and saw that she seemed to be ok. "Stay there." She pointed to Sara before she turned to where Tim was standing at the end of the bed handcuffed. She walked up and stood directly in front of him. "Do you have any idea what you've done asshole? Don't answer because I don't believe you are capable of knowing. I just have one thing for you." He was about the same height as Catherine so she rested her hands on his shoulders and brought her knee up as hard as she possibly could into his groin and took immense pleasure in the pain she saw in his face just before he doubled over in pain. She then turned to the bed and carefully sat down next to Sara. "Baby are you ok? Brass we need and ambulance."

"No, no ambulance. I'll be fine. Nothing is broken so there's nothing they can do. Help me up ok? I want to talk to him." Catherine carefully helped her up and held on to her as she walked to the end of the bed. Brass helped Tim stand up straight so Sara could look him in the eye.

"This is police brutality, you can't do this." Tim screamed to no one in particular.

"Did anybody see anything?" Brass turned to the other cops in the room. They all shook their heads and couldn't help but smile. "You should have been careful, those end posts on the bed are pretty low and you walked right into it. Go ahead Sara, say what you want to say."

"Oh I just have a couple of things for him." She put her hands in the same place Catherine had put hers and leaned forward and whispered. "You should have killed me when you had the chance because now I will take great pleasure in preparing the best case against you and be there when the state of California puts you to death."

"How did you know I wouldn't shoot you?"

"Because you're a coward and your fucking hand was shacking so bad I thought you were going to drop the gun you wimp." As she finished talking she brought her knee up just as Catherine had but as he doubled over she clasped both hands together and she heard a satisfying crack as they made contact with his cheek.

"Oops fell again. Too bad." Brass turned to Catherine. "Take her with you in your truck, I'll have the guys process the scene. Take her to the hospital just to have them check her out."

Catherine put her arm around Sara's waist and led her out of the room. When they met up with Nick and Warrick, who had been standing in the living room, they both gasped when they saw Sara's face. "Damn girl are you ok?"

"Yeah Warrick just a little banged up." Sara looked around the living room and shook her head in disgust.

"Where's the little shit so I can take a swing at him?"

"We've already taken care of that Nicky, he'll be talking a few octaves higher for a while." Both guys winced at the thought and protectively covered their own groins.

"Ouch Catherine remind me to never piss you off."

"Don't worry guys, unless you kidnap my girlfriend and duct tape her to a bed then beat her like this I think you're safe. Just make sure you get lots of pictures to guarantee this guy does not see the light of day. Come on baby let's get you to the hospital."

"Really Cat I'm fine let's just go home."

"Humor me ok? That cheek looks like it might need stitches. I just want to know for sure that there is no damage other than cosmetic."

"Ok." Catherine helped her out the door and they both stopped at Manny's body lying on the ground. Sara kicked it as hard as she could. "Just wanted to make sure he was dead." They continued to the Denali, and Catherine reached across her to fasten the seatbelt and gave her a quick peck on the cheek that wasn't cut.

"Why don't you lay the seat back and rest until we get there." Catherine watched her as she winced in pain but lowered the seat back so she was lying down. "Are you hurt anywhere besides your face?"

"No, I think I pissed him off when I told him didn't love him and never would."

Catherine had to laugh. "Ya think? Close your eyes and rest until we get there." She watched as Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I love you Sara."

"Love you too. I'm sorry Cat."

"Shhh we'll talk later."

"You just want to make sure I'm ok so you won't feel guilty when you yell at me don't you?"

"Yup." Catherine laughed as she pulled away from the house in the middle of the desert.

Back at the house Brass had sent Tim back with the officers with instructions that he not talk to anyone until Brass got back to the station. Now Brass, Nick and Warrick stood in the bedroom and couldn't believe what they were looking at. "How the hell did he get this close with no one seeing him?" They were staring at a wall that was completely covered with pictures of Sara at various places but all taken in Las Vegas except for the one life sized picture in the middle. It was a duplicate of the one on his coffee table of Sara in her wetsuit. "Man this just isn't right."

"Yeah Nick I have to agree with you there. This is just plain sick. Did Catherine really kick him where it counts?" Warrick asked Brass.

Brass laughed at the look of pain on both men's faces. "Both of them did." He said with almost fatherly pride. "You should have seen Sara, beaten and bruised she faced him down. I think she might have broken his cheek bone. He should have been careful, he slipped and fell against the bed post there." He pointed to the bed post and all three laughed.

"That's too bad. Hope he'll recover enough to be arraigned in the morning. I suppose there were plenty of witnesses to see him fall."

"Yeah Nicky, the other officers were right in the doorway, and we all saw the same thing. He was in such a hurry to surrender, he walked right into the bed post and then he fell and smashed his face. Sure looked like it hurt." They all had a good laugh and then Brass left and the guys got down to work.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Catherine refused to leave Sara's side in the emergency room. The x-rays showed that nothing was broken and the nurse was cleaning up and bandaging the many cuts as best she could.

"I couldn't believe it when someone told me you two were back already." Catherine and Sara both looked to the door to see Julie standing there. She quit smiling as soon as she saw Sara's face. "Damn Sara what the hell happened to you?" She walked over to the nurse caring for Sara. "Hey Linda why don't you go work on someone who'd appreciate your handiwork, I'll finish up here." She watched as Linda left the room then turned back to Sara. "I hope you got at least one punch in."

Sara smiled up at Julie and then looked at Catherine. "We did better than that didn't we babe?"

"Let's just say that they will be piecing his cheek together tonight." Catherine smiled down at Sara but now that she knew she was going to be ok she was getting angry because of the chances she took.

"Let me stitch up that cut on your forehead then you can get out of here."

"Hey Cat don't forget to swab some of the cuts to make sure we get the evidence. By the way how did you guys find me?"

"You did it yourself." At Sara's confused look she held up Sara's wrist and tapped on her watch. "That's what you get for tinkering with things."

"Damn I forgot all about that." At Julie's confused look she explained. "I got bored at work shortly after I arrived in Vegas and I was playing with an old GPS unit to see if I could figure out how it worked. I took it apart then put the chip in my watch and asked Archie to see if it would still work it did but then we got called out to a scene and I never took it out. Actually I forgot about it." She turned to Catherine. "Apparently Archie didn't. Remind me to kiss him when I see him."

"He felt so bad that he hadn't remembered sooner and it took us so long to find you."

"Cat it was only a few hours."

Catherine gave Sara a worried look. "What do you mean it was only a few hours? You were gone for almost two days Sara."

"That can't be. It was just this morning."

"No Sara it was yesterday when you went to meet with Jim."

At Sara's confused look Julie spoke up. "Did you lose consciousness at all."

"Yeah I passed out but I don't think I was out for long."

"Are you sure?" Catherine took Sara's hand in hers to keep her from worrying too much. "Maybe you were out longer than you thought."

"That must be it. Are you saying I lost a whole day?" Catherine saw that she was starting to freak out so she held tighter to her hand so she knew she wasn't alone.

"Kind of looks that way baby, but from the looks of you it's probably best if you don't remember it." She smiled down and Sara returned her smile.

"I think you just might be right about that." She winced when Julie touched a particularly tender spot. "Ouch!"

"Sorry about that. I'm going to numb this spot so I can stitch it up then you two can get out of here."

"What the hell happened this time?" Catherine turned around to see Nancy standing in the doorway

"Are there any nurses left in the ICU?"

"That's not going to work Sara, you can't answer a question with another question to avoid the original question."

"Too many questions. We finally got the guy. Doesn't that count?" Sara asked and gave her her best puppy dog look.

"Don't give me that look. I'm a nurse I'm impervious to those looks, I get them every day so don't try it. How the hell did he get close enough to do that?" She pointed to Sara's face.

"Hey Nancy I haven't even been able to talk to Catherine about it yet so can we not talk about it here? I promise you will know everything after Catherine gets done with me."

"Ok I can't wait. Are you ok?" She walked over and gave Sara a hug then turned to Julie. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Yeah she'll be good as new. I'm going to put some ointment on your wrists and wrap them, I will send you home with more ointment and gauze then I'm done, do you have any pain killers left?" Sara nodded and started to get up off the bed but had to lay back down when a wave of dizziness hit her. "You ok?"

"Just a little dizzy. I think I moved too fast that's all. Let's try it again but slower." She sat up and waited for the dizziness to go away. "So far so good." She stood up and headed for the door when Catherine placed her arm around her waist. "Let's go get Lindsey and go home."

"Why don't you and I head home and we can pick Lindsey up later."

"You just don't want any witnesses when you kill me and dispose of my body."

"You got that right baby." She helped her out to a waiting cab and was silent all the way home. Sara wasn't sure if she should say anything so she chose to stay quiet and follow Catherine's lead. They pulled up outside the house and Catherine paid the cab and ran around to the other side of the cab to help Sara. Once in the house she led her to the couch and helped her sit down. She went upstairs and got one of the pain pills then poured a glass of water and brought them both downstairs and handed them to Sara.

"Cat say something. Please I can't stand the silence. I know what I did was stupid but I thought if I was able to draw him out I could get rid of him for good. I did it for us."

"No! You did it for yourself because if you were thinking about me at all you never would have done anything as stupid as using yourself for bait in the first place. Look at yourself!" She wasn't holding anything back. "You can barely open your eye, you've got 6 stitches in that cut on your cheek, your wrists look like minced meat and I bet if I kissed you, which I'm not ready to do just yet, it would hurt like hell. What were you thinking?" When she saw that Sara was getting ready to say something she held up her hand to stop her. "Don't answer that, obviously you weren't thinking. Sara he could have killed you, and probably would have if we hadn't shown up. Do you have any idea how I felt when Jim said that maniac had you. My whole world fell apart. I'm not sure I how I feel about the fact that you lied to me that night and you were lying when you left that morning. That hurts. It's hard for me to give trust and you broke that trust. Not only did you lie to me you forced Jim to lie too, I'm not mad at him for lying I'm mad at you for putting him in the position where he had to lie. I'm mad at him for giving you the means to carry out your stupid scheme. And for going along with it." Catherine had tears streaming down her face and she was pacing back and forth on the other side of the coffee table. She'd stop pacing each time she said something then resume pacing again when she finished speaking.

"Two days Sara, you put me through hell for two days and I don't ever want to feel that way again." When she finished speaking she started pacing again and as she did her anger increased when she thought about what could have happened had they not made it there in time.

"Cat you have to stop pacing back and forth it's making me dizzy. It's like watching a tennis match with a migraine." She laid her head back so it was resting on the back of the couch. "Cat if you're going to keep yelling at me can you at least get me a cold compress first? Please?"

Catherine stopped pacing and looked at Sara and saw that she really did look pale. Are you ok?" At Sara's nod she continued. "You sure know how to take the wind out of a girl's sails don't you? How the hell am I supposed to stay mad at you now?" Sara glanced up and saw that Catherine was heading into the kitchen. Her head really was pounding and it was hard to even hold her head up. She laid it back on the couch. Catherine came back into the living room and sat down next to Sara on the couch. "Did you take the pill?" When she didn't get an answer she realized that Sara had fallen asleep. She placed the cold compress on her forehead and when she did Sara let out a long sigh. "Baby can you wake up long enough to get to the bedroom?" All Sara did was nod her head just the slightest bit and started to stand up but fell back with a groan. "Come on let me help you." She put her arm around her waist again. "Lean on me Sara, let me hold you up."

"Too heavy." She said in a slurred voice.

"God you are stubborn, lean on me damn it, let me help you." She finally felt her weight shift and she had to smile. She laid her down on the bed and took her shoes and socks off then covered her with the blanket. She lay down next to her and held her as if her life depended on it and in some respects it did and that scared her. She lay there for awhile just watching Sara sleep. She looked at her bruised and battered face and imagined Timothy Trainor hitting her and she got angry all over again. She got up and called her Mother and asked her to keep Lindsey for at least one more night. She didn't think Sara would be up to it today. She went back and stood in the doorway of her bedroom and watched her sleep. Once again she was surprised at the emotions that stirred inside of her. The first was anger at Trainor for what he did and then anger at Sara for even attempting to tackle this on her own and if she had to admit it there was a small amount of pride in her for having the guts to tackle it on on her own. She had to have been scared out of her mind out there in the desert with no one to help her. Catherine walked over and lay down beside her and pulled her to her in a tight embrace, and then she fell asleep.

Sara woke with a start and looked around her and at first she couldn't remember where she was. Then she felt Catherine's arms around her and it all came back to her. She looked outside and saw that it was dark out. When her stomach growled she realized she hadn't eaten anything in two days. She decided that she would try to serve breakfast in bed again. Her first stop was the bathroom where she got her first look at her face. She gasped when she saw how bruised it was. "No wonder Cat was mad at me, I look like shit."

"It looked worse earlier."

"Damn Cat you have to give me some warning when you sneak up on me like that. Maybe you should wear a bell or something." Catherine came up behind her and put her arms around her waist. "I was going to make you breakfast in bed. You keep messing it up."

"How do you feel? Does it hurt much?" Sara touched the cut on her cheek and winced. "I'll take that as a yes. How about you go lay on the couch and I'll whip up some eggs and we can talk."

"That sounds ominous." Sara was afraid Catherine was going to tell her to leave so she took matters into her own hands. She removed Catherine's arms from around her waist and headed back into the bedroom and pulled out the duffle bag that held her clothes and put it on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"I figured I'd save you the talk and leave now. That's what the talk is all about isn't it?" Sara reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Let's make it easy on both of us and I'll just pack my things and go back to my apartment tonight."

Catherine walked up behind her again and put her arms around her waist and rested her head on her back. "Sara, if you want to leave I won't stop you if that's what you want but the least you can do is let me have my say first."

"Didn't you say enough when we first got home? Do you want to tell me again how stupid I was? I already know that. All I could think about while I was tied to the bed was how mad you were going to be. At least between the times he was hitting me when I was conscious. All I thought about was you. The night before I left I felt so guilty about lying to you and I knew there was a chance you would never forgive me. I woke in the middle of the night and all I could do is watch you sleep thinking it would probably be the last chance I would ever get to feel you next to me. It was killing me. I left that morning thinking I would never be welcomed in your home again. So why won't you just let me go?"

Catherine finally turned her around and looked into her eyes. "You think I want you to leave?" She looked up and saw the truth in Sara's eyes. "God no I thought you were leaving because of what I said earlier. I'm mad as hell that you would take a chance like you did but I can understand why you did it. I was angry and you more than anyone should know I strike out when I get angry."

"What about trusting me?"

Catherine reached behind Sara and threw her duffle bag onto the floor then pushed her down on the bed and straddled her waist. "I do trust you and I love you but like I said I say things in anger that I really don't mean. I don't want to think about what I would have done had anything worse happened to you. I don't want you to leave."

Sara pulled her down so that their lips met in what started out as a gentle kiss but she deepened it by forcing her tongue past Catherine's lips not that she really had to force too hard. She rolled over so that she was on top of Catherine and she started to unbutton Catherine's blouse then reached behind to remove her bra. Catherine stopped her hand so that Sara would look at her. "Are you sure you're up to this?" Sara's answer was to throw Catherine's blouse and bra on the floor and reach for the zipper on her jeans. "Sara I don't want to hurt you."

Sara stood up from the bed to remove Catherine's jeans and panties as one. She made eye contact with Catherine and slowly started to remove her own clothing. "You are a gorgeous woman as I've told you before but I'll never grow tired of the site of you as you are right now." Catherine was mesmerized by her movements she watched as her hips slowly moved from side to side in tempo to her own unheard music. Sara reached for the top button on her own shirt and slowly unbuttoned each button but didn't remove the shirt. She watched as Catherine's eyes started to darken and she was staring at Sara's hands. When her tongue came out and licked her lips it was almost Sara's undoing. She forced herself to go slow which was the opposite of what her brain was telling her.

When Catherine realized she was getting her own private striptease from Sara her mouth went dry. God this woman was a constant surprise. She had to lick her lips because they too had gone dry and she couldn't take her eyes off of Sara's hands. She had never seen anything as amazing as Sara Sidle at this moment and she had never loved her more than she did right now. She knew the gift she was receiving because she had a feeling that Sara had never before shared this side of her with anyone else and it was humbling. But it was also a major turn on and that was the overriding sensation at the moment. She lay back and decided to enjoy the show.

Sara watched the emotions flit across Catherine's face and wasn't quite sure what was going through her mind. There was a split second when she wasn't sure she could go through with it and her natural shyness snuck in but she pushed it back because she wanted to please Catherine. "I want to make love to you all night long. I want to watch you come for me over and over again." She reached down and slowly unzipped her jeans but once again didn't take them off. Her hands returned to the collar of her shirt and she pulled one arm out and then the other and threw the shirt somewhere in the vicinity of Catherine's jeans. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra and added it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. "I want to watch you writhing beneath me and screaming for release. I can't wait to feel my fingers inside you and have you come all over my hand. Then start all over again." She saw Catherine's breath hitch and watched as her hand was snaking towards her glistening curls. "Don't you dare touch yourself."

"Sara I need you so badly, I can't wait." She was almost begging.

"You can and you will wait it will be worth it." She purred so it didn't come out like a command but a promise. Sara felt almost heady with the power she knew she had over Catherine at that moment. "Put your hands over your head. I want to look at you." She watched as Catherine complied with her wishes and almost gave in when she grabbed the bars of her headboard and held tight. "God you look amazing. You have no idea what you do to me and are doing to me right now." Sara reached down and started to remove her jeans and lowered them as slow as she could.

"God Sara you're killing me. I want you so bad, no one has ever had this effect on me." If possible her eyes got even darker and her voice even lower. She cleared her throat and continued to watch Sara. She saw just the smallest shiver snake through Sara body and knew she was just as turned on as she was and knew this was going to be a night to remember. "Come here Sara I want to touch you, I want to taste you, I want to watch you come for me."

"Tut tut Catherine this is my show." She wagged her finger at Catherine. "You'll get your turn later. You still owe me a lap dance and I intend to collect." She finally reached for the last piece of clothing and lowered her panties to the floor and stepped out of them and slowly walked towards the bed. She lowered herself down next to Catherine and reached up to take one of her hands in hers. She brought it to her lips and kissed each finger before she sucked one into her mouth before releasing it. She then returned it to the headboard and watched as Catherine's grasp on the headboard was almost painfully tight. She bent her head to Catherine's chest and took one of her taut nipples into her mouth and proceeded to thoroughly worship it while her hand paid equal attention to the other one. Catherine's undulating hips were almost completely off the bed.

"Sara I need you so bad please. Touch me, I need you inside me."

Sara chose to ignore her pleas and continued the slow exploration of her body. "I love the way your body reacts to my touches. You're so expressive."

"I'm going to express my displeasure if you don't touch me soon."

"I am touching you Cat don't you like the way I touch you?" She knew exactly what she was doing to her and she also knew she wouldn't last long when she finally did touch her.

"You know what I mean. Please Sara I am so damn close already and it won't take much to push me over the edge." As she was talking Sara was kissing her way down Catherine's stomach and when she finally reached her heated center it was all Catherine could do to not reach down and push Sara's head into her. She was so close that when Sara's tongue finally entered her her orgasm exploded almost immediately. Sara continued to lap at her juices until she felt the last spasm leave her body. "To borrow your phrase, that was amazing." Catherine smiled down at Sara and she felt Sara smile against her curls and had to laugh. "You can come up now."

Sara didn't move or say anything she just looked up at Catherine's contented face. She licked once more and watched as Catherine's body jerked from the pressure on her sensitive clit. She turned her head and kissed Catherine's thigh then gently bit it and heard Catherine gasp, She looked up and to her delight Catherine had her eyes closed and she was biting her lip. God she had no idea how sexy that was. She licked the spot she had bitten and moved to another spot and nipped there and received much the same response from Catherine. She couldn't remember ever enjoying making love this much, she always looked at it as nothing much more than a release but with Catherine it was so much more than that. She wanted to pleasure her in every way possible and then find another way and start all over again. She looked up and saw that Catherine was now watching her intently. She kissed her way back to her heated core and plunged three fingers into her wet center and set a frantic pace.

Catherine's hips kept pace with her fingers as she pulled them almost all of the way out and plunged them in again. "Sara, I'm so close…god I love you so much. Sa…ra…" She actually screamed her name as her climax claimed her body once again. Sara's pace never slowed and she lowered her head and clamped on to her swollen clit and Catherine felt her body tensing as another climax hit her. "Sara you have to stop, my body can't take anymore. Come up here please." Sara kissed her way back up Catherine's body, she stopped at her breasts and kissed each one then made her way to Catherine's lips. Catherine groaned when she tasted herself on Sara's lips and deepened the kiss. "You are an amazing lover Sara Sidle."

"Only with you. I want so much to pleasure you in every way possible. I love watching you react to my touches and you are such an expressive lover. I was thinking about how in the past I always approached having sex as a means to a release, whether it be mine or my partners. With you it is so much more." She lay down beside Catherine and rested her head on her hand so she could just look at her. Her other hand was making lazy circles on Catherine's stomach.

"I guess that's the difference between having sex and making love. I have never felt this much with anyone else. You know just how to touch my body to get the best out of me. I want to touch you and make you feel as good as you make me feel. Tell me what you want me to do. Tell me how to touch you to pleasure you."

"Just think about what makes you feel good and do that." She looked down at her hand on Catherine's stomach and watched as the muscles in her stomach reacted to her touch. "God I love your body. I want to touch you everywhere."

"Not right now, it's my turn." She swiftly reversed their positions. "First I want to let you know that your strip tease was amazing." She was straddling Sara's waist.

"I've never done anything like that before." Just a hint of a blush graced Sara's cheeks.

"I know, and that is what makes it special I want to make you feel the same way." Sara was surprised at the insecurity in Catherine's voice.

"God Catherine, you have no idea do you?"

"About what?"

"All you have to do is turn those green eyes on me and I feel special, your kisses make me feel like I'm on top of the world. The slightest touch from you turns me on and watching you writing underneath me while I'm making love to you makes me feel like…beyond words. You don't have to do anything. I know you already know how sexy you are and right now, you sitting on my stomach naked as a jay bird is the sexiest thing in the world." Sara reached behind Catherine and cupped her tight ass and pulled her forward so that once again she could smell her sex. "God you smell so good."

"Sara this is supposed to be my turn to please you stop that."

"This does please me, more than you'll ever know." She pulled her closer and Catherine couldn't stop her reaction to Sara's tongue as she once again started moving to the rhythm Sara set.

"Damn Sara!" Sara reached up and pulled Catherine down so she could reach her better. She used her tongue in ways that Catherine didn't know a tongue could be used. Catherine leaned back and she was able to reach Sara wet folds and she matched the pace that Sara's tongue was setting. Sara's hips left the bed which gave Catherine better access and the groan that left Sara's lips did things to her already dripping core. "God Sara you're so wet. Oh shit!" They both fell over the edge together and Catherine fell limp next to Sara. She giggled when she felt Sara's tongue behind her knee. "Stop that, it tickles." She turned around so she could snuggle next to Sara. "I love you Sara Sidle."

"I love you too. Now go to sleep." Sara put her arm around her and pulled her close.

"Oh no you don't I'm not done with you yet."

"Cat you're exhausted, go to sleep, I'm fine."

"No I'm not I'm wide awake." Sara had to laugh because Catherine was asleep almost before she finished speaking.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Catherine woke in the middle of the night and found she was alone in the bed but before she panicked she put on her robe and headed out of the bedroom. She turned on the light in the living room and she found Sara on the back deck staring up at the stars. She knocked on the doorframe to get her attention. Sara reached behind her and took Catherine's hand and pulled her around to sit in front of her on the chair. She rested her head on Catherine's shoulder and put her arms around her stomach. "I'm going to miss this."

"Miss what?" Catherine turned around on the chair so she could look at Sara.

"This, just holding you like this and kissing whenever I want to. And this view. Everything."

"You sound like you're going somewhere."

"Cat, I have to go back to my apartment sometime. That is where I live."

Sara felt Catherine's body stiffen. "Why do you have to go back?" She said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Move in here with Lindsey and me."

"As much as I would love to stay we both know that it's too soon for that. I promised Lindsey she could help me get better so I can stay for a couple more days but then I have to leave."

"I know you're right but I don't have to like it. I'm going to talk to Gil about taking a few more days off so I can take care of you and spend time with Lindsey. I know you don't want to be taken care of but Gil doesn't know that."

Sara pulled her against her and kissed her on the shoulder. "Actually, I've gotten used to it and it feels kind of nice to have someone caring for me. You can take care of me anytime you feel like it. What time is it?"

Catherine looked at her watch. "It's 3:00 am why?"

"If we get a few hours of sleep we can go pick up Lindsey and spend the day together." She pushed Catherine off the chair then stood up and took her hand and headed into the house. Catherine turned off the light as she passed it and followed Sara up the stairs. Sara pulled back the covers and Catherine dropped her robe then slid over to her side of the bed. Sara pulled her t-shirt off then crawled in behind her, put her arms around her and pulled Catherine tight against her chest. "How early can we pick her up?"

"Let's see what time we wake up ok?" She looked up at Sara and smiled. "This is why you are not like your parents."

"What do you mean?" Sara kissed the top of her head.

"Here you are not long out of the hospital for the second time in about a week, bruised and battered and you want to spend time with my daughter. Most of the guys I dated didn't want to have anything to do with Lindsey. Hell her own father forgets when he's made plans with her. I love you Sara Sidle." She leaned up and gave her a gentle kiss, Sara leaned down to deepen the kiss. "If you want to be up in a few hours don't start anything."

"But you are just so irresistible Catherine Willows. I can't keep my hands off of you. What do you expect? You sashay around in that robe that barely covers your ass and then drop said robe and climb into bed naked as the day you were born and expect me to keep my hands to myself. Can you blame me?"

"Well if you put it that way I guess I can't blame you." Catherine pushed Sara down so she was laying flat on her back then laid her head on her chest and wrapped her leg over her legs and wiggled until she was comfortable then let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed. She placed her hand on Sara's stomach and settled in for the night. "Go to sleep baby." Sara on the other hand was anything but relaxed. She had her arm around Catherine's shoulders and tried to stop the moan but failed miserably. Catherine raised her head and looked at Sara and had to smother a laugh. "What's the matter sweetie?" She asked innocently.

"First you tell me not to start anything, then you wiggle your naked body against me and tell me to go to sleep. I may be beaten and bruised but I'm not dead Cat. Do you really expect me to fall asleep now?" She looked down at Catherine and smiled.

"Well if you insist, I guess I could help you relax." She rubbed herself against Sara again and reached up to pull Sara's head down for a heated kiss. "What can I do to help you relax baby?" She rolled over so that she was now half on top of Sara and her leg found its way between her legs and she started rubbing back and forth. Sara's hips kept perfect time with Catherine's movements and soon they were both breathing heavily. The pace became frantic and Sara felt like she was going to explode.

"Damn you sure know how to show a girl a good time don't you?" Sara reversed their positions but continued to rub against Catherine's leg. She brought her lips down to Catherine's breast and took it in her mouth and bit down. Not hard enough to do any damage but enough to cause pain and Catherine's moan was all it took. Sara's whole body went rigid before it shook from the force of her climax. Catherine rolled them over so she could take control then she plunged two fingers into Sara's wet folds and her mouth took a painfully hard nipple into her mouth and bit down as Sara had just done to her.

"Come for me baby. God I love the way your body moves." Catherine licked her way from one breast to the other and moved her free hand under Sara's hips then knelt between her legs and raised her hips to meet her mouth. "God you look amazing." Her fingers were still buried inside Sara and she knew she would never get tired of making love to this woman. "Tell me what you're feeling Sara. What can I do to make you feel good?"

"God Cat, you want me to think and form sentences? What you are doing feels fantastic." Catherine curled her fingers and knew she had found the right spot when Sara almost screamed. "Right there, oh god Cat that feels sooo good. Don't stop. Damn that feels so…" Catherine took her clit into her mouth while her fingers continued their plundering and soon Catherine felt Sara's inner walls start to tighten around her fingers so she renewed her attack on her clit. "Cat…I…Love…You…" and her body exploded with her second orgasm.

Catherine slowly removed her fingers and lowered Sara's body to the bed. She licked her fingers as she moved next to Sara then reached up to brush the damp curls from Sara's brow. "I love you too. Now go to sleep."

"But Cat…" Sara's voice was barely above a whisper. Catherine stopped her from saying anything by laying her finger across Sara's lips. Sara licked her finger and sucked it into her mouth.

"Shhh go to sleep." Catherine removed her finger and kissed her lips. "Sleep." She lay her head back down on Sara's chest and they both fell asleep.

Catherine woke to the smell of fresh brewed coffee under her nose. She looked up and saw a smiling Sara holding a cup of coffee then looked to her side of the bed and saw the tray of food. "I see you finally got to make that breakfast huh?"

"Yeah I kept looking over my shoulder expecting you to show up in the kitchen and ruin it again." She handed Catherine her coffee then headed around to the other side of the bed and moved the tray so she could sit down. She dipped one of the strawberries into the cream and brought it to Catherine lips and fed it to her. She leaned down to lick the small drop of cream that had fallen on Catherine's naked shoulder. She looked up at Catherine with a sly grin on her face. "Can't let it go to waste now can we?" Catherine could only shake her head. Sara reached for another strawberry and fed it to Catherine. "I've never been with anyone I wanted to do this with. I thought you might appreciate it."

"Oh it is definitely appreciated. Once again you surprise me with such a romantic gesture." As she said this she reached for a strawberry and dipped it in the cream the placed it between her teeth and leaned towards Sara and fed it to her and followed it with a kiss. "I could get used to this kind of treatment."

"You bring out the romantic in me." She fed her another strawberry. "I want to buy you flowers and candy. I want to take you out on a date to a fancy restaurant. I want to pick you up at the door then bring you home and kiss you good night at the door. Then go home and dream about you and get excited about seeing you again the next day. We skipped that stage and I want that. I want to sit and hold your hand while we watch a movie. I want to buy you little presents and leave them on your desk to surprise you. I want to be there for you if you have a bad case and I want to be able to come to you if I have a bad one." She looked up to see Catherine staring at her with tears in her eyes. "I hope those are good tears." Catherine could only nod her head. "Would you be interested in any of those things too?" Once again Catherine nodded her head. "Good, now why don't we finish this breakfast and jump in the shower and go pick up that daughter of yours."

"Ok." Catherine was still stunned by Sara's confession but at the same time she was surprised at how much she wanted those same things. She'd never thought of herself as someone who would be content sitting at home watching TV but that was what she wanted with Sara. She could picture her playing with Lindsey on the living room floor or the three of them sitting and watching something on TV and Sara explaining things to Lindsey. Or the three of them playing in the park or going to the zoo. Sara would be so good for Lindsey.

"Hey, where did you go?"

"To a good place. I love you and I want all of those things you want too." She popped another strawberry into her mouth. "Let's go get Lindsey. I think it would be faster if we showered separately. I'll use the one downstairs and you can use mine." She leaned over and kissed her quickly and jumped up from the bed. "Bet I can be ready before you can."

"There's no way you'll beat me because you have to do all that makeup and stuff that makes you beautiful."

"Are you saying I'm not beautiful without makeup?"

Sara walked over and took Catherine in her arms. "You would be beautiful in a burlap bag but when you put on your makeup you take my breath away." She finished her statement with a kiss.

"Good comeback Sidle. Now let's get going, I miss my daughter." They both finished their showers in record time but Sara had time to sit and have another cup of coffee while she waited for Catherine but it was worth the wait. Catherine came down the stairs in black jeans that hugged her like a second skin, a blouse that brought out the green in her eyes and a black bolero jacket that accentuated her narrow waist.

"Wow! If we weren't going to pick up your daughter I would be taking you back up those stairs right now and we wouldn't come out until after dark. You look great!"

"You don't look to shabby yourself Ms. Sidle. Aside from the bruises and stitches I'd say you look great. Let me call my Mother and let her know we're on the way." She dialed her cell as they headed out the door, Sara held the car door then headed around to the driver's side. "Mom said Lindsey's really excited that she will get to see you. Oh and she added me at the last minute." She smiled over at Sara.

Sara had to laugh at her pout. "She'll be excited to see you and you know it."

"Nope she's all about you. I could hear her in the background and she was screaming 'Sara's coming Sara's coming' then I got an honorable mention. Well, we already know she likes you now we need to see if you can keep up with her."

"That shouldn't be too hard should it? She has to sleep sometime right?" Catherine just gave her a secret smile as she pulled into a parking spot at the Rampart. "What's that smile for?"

Catherine walked around and wrapped both arms around one of Sara's and led her into the Rampart. As they entered Catherine was nearly knocked over when Lindsey came running to greet them and she wrapped her little arms around Catherine's legs. "Mommy I missed you sooo much." Catherine picked her up so she could give her a hug and Sara gave her an 'I told you so' look.

Lily finally caught up with them and got her first look at Sara's face and she could hold back the gasp. "Catherine why didn't you tell me how bad it was?" She turned to Sara. "Shouldn't you be in bed resting or something?" She walked over and gave Sara a hug then turned to Catherine and gave her one too.

"I'm fine Lily it only hurts when I laugh." She smiled over at Catherine and Lindsey. "How ya doin' kiddo?" Lindsey wiggled out of her mother's arms and walked over to Sara. Sara knelt down so she was at Lindsey's level and opened her arms and Lindsey smiled and wrapped her arms around Sara's neck. Sara stood up and held Lindsey above her head and laughed when she started to giggle.

"Who beat you up? Did you put him in jail? Can we get ice cream?" She looked hopefully at Sara. Sara had to shake her head at the quick change of gears from the bad man to ice cream but when she looked at Catherine and Lily neither one seemed surprised.

"Did you have lunch yet?" Lindsey shook her head. "Does your Mom usually let you have ice cream after you eat?" Lindsey nodded her head and Sara looked over her shoulder to see if Catherine was going to dispute that. "Well then let's go see what they have to offer for lunch then we'll discuss desert when we finish eating. How does that sound to you?" She looked at Lindsey for her response.

Lindsey looked between Catherine and Lily because she was confused because she was used to adults just doing things without asking her. Catherine nodded her head and Lindsey turned back to Sara. "That sounds good to me. Let's go eat so I can have ice cream."

"Make sure you don't order too much because then you wouldn't have room for ice cream." Sara told her as they walked into the dining room. She found a booth in the back and set Lindsey down and headed to the other side of the booth.

"No Sara you have to sit next to me and help me eat." Sara looked up at Catherine with genuine fear in her eyes.

Catherine smiled and patted her shoulder. "That shouldn't be too hard should it?" Repeating her words from earlier. She slid into the booth next to her mother and smiled up at Sara. "Oh and she'll need a booster seat."

"What the hell…heck is a booster seat?" Lindsey scooted out of the booth and took Sara's hand and led her over to the stack of booster seats and pointed to them. "I suppose for a little bit like you it would come in handy huh?" Sara reached down and picked up the pink chair. "You like pink little bit?" Lindsey giggled at the nickname.

"Yes I do but yellow is my favorite color. Why do you call me little bit?""

"Well then yellow it is. And I call you little bit because that's what you are just a little bit of a girl. Is that ok?" Lindsey nodded then Sara turned back to the pile of chairs and lifted off 4 of the chairs to get to the yellow one. She took Lindsey's hand and headed back to the table. Both Catherine and Lily were sitting at the table laughing and when they got to the table she saw Lily hand Catherine a dollar bill. "What's up with you two? "

I bet Catherine that you wouldn't give in." Lily smiled at Sara.

"Mom said you'd be tough and tell Lindsey no when she said she wanted the yellow one and I told her you were a softy and you would have dug through the whole pile if the yellow one had been on the bottom to get it for her." She held up the dollar bill. "We only bet a dollar. But you were so cute." She leaned across the table and gave Sara a quick kiss.

"So you two knew this was going to happen?" She asked as she was helping Lindsey get situated in the booster chair.

"Get used to it, we go through it whenever there are multi colored chairs at restaurants. Mom never gives in and tells her to pick the one on top, so Lindsey doesn't even ask her anymore."

"What about you?" Sara watched as Catherine lowered her head so that it was covered by her hair and mumbled something that she couldn't hear. Sara reached over and moved her hair out of the way and Catherine looked up at her. "You give in too don't you?" Catherine blushed and nodded. "Good, I thought I did something wrong by giving in to her." Sara turned to Lindsey and she had the biggest grin on her face as she watched Sara and her Mom.

"So if I go with Mommy and Sara I will get the yellow ones and with Grandma I get whatever is on top right?" She looked to Sara for the answer.

"It appears so."

"What does 'pears so mean Sara?" She asked.

"Appears, not 'pears. Well little bit it means it sure looks like if you're with your Mom and I you get the yellow and with Grandma you get whatever is on top." Sara leaned down and whispered something to Lindsey and Lindsey pulled her down and whispered something back and then Sara scooted out of the booth. They all watched Lindsey run to the stack of chairs and remove the top two and grab the blue one. Then she stacked them back up and returned to the table with the blue one.

Catherine turned to Sara with a questioning look on her face then turned to Lindsey. "What's up sweetie?"

"Blue is my new favorite color."

"Hey just because I like blue doesn't mean you have to. You can still like yellow."

"Can I like blue too?"

"Of course you can, but you have to do what you like, not what you think other people will like. Do you want me to go get the yellow one again?" She ruffled Lindsey's hair.

"No that's ok I like this one for now. I'm hungry can we get something to eat Mommy?" They picked up the menus and decided what they were going to eat and placed their order. "Mommy are we going home after we eat?"

"Sure are baby. You can sleep in your own bed tonight ok?"

Lindsey tuned to Sara. "Are you going home with us too so I can help you get better? Because it doesn't look like Mommy has done a very good job of taking care of you."

Catherine almost choked on the food she had just put in her mouth, Lily started laughing and Sara tried to keep a straight face. "Yeah little bit I'll be going home with you because I think I need some of your magic kisses to make me feel better."

"Did you hear that Mommy, Sara says I have magic kisses?"

"Yeah sweetie I always thought they were special."

"Not special Mommy, magic, that's different."

"I'm sorry you're right that is different. Sara told me just this morning how much she was looking forward to you coming home and taking care of her."

"Really? You said that Sara?"

Sara looked down into her big green eyes and saw what Catherine must have looked like at that age and she knew she was lost. "Yes I did say that. As you can tell I have a few more bumps and bruises so I think I am overdue for your kisses." Lindsey stood up on the seat next to Sara and kissed her uninjured cheek then sat back down. "It feels better already. See Cat. This is what has been missing all this time."

"I know." She said it softly and she meant it in more ways than one. She had a feeling that Lindsey will be as good for Sara as Sara will be for her. Anyone who could make a little girl feel as good as Sara has with just a few words is worth keeping around. She could still see some of the old wounds deep down but the somber Sara is all but gone and smiles have taken the place of the scowls that used to be her usual facial expression. "Are we done eating?" She looked around the table and stopped at Lindsey who was just finishing up her ice cream. She looked up at Catherine with a huge grin on her face. "Are you almost done sweetie?" She nodded her head. Sara reached over and wiped some ice cream off of Lindsey's chin. "You may as well wait until she is done because there will be more by the time she is done."

"I just thought it would be easier if I stayed ahead of it. But it doesn't seem to work does it?"

"Nope, I just wait and do it all at one time. Can you see how important that bib is?"

"Yeah I do. Do you always carry one with you? Should I put some in my truck too? Where do I go to buy them?"

Catherine had to smile at how serious Sara was. "I have plenty at home. We can throw one in your truck later but I always have one or two with me so don't worry about it." Catherine stood up and paid the bill and turned to her Mother. "Mom do you need a ride home or are you ok?"

"Sam said he would drive me home later so you don't have to worry about it. I'll pack her things and bring them by later if the three of you want to take off."

"That's ok Mom we can all go upstairs and pack her things, that way she'll have her toothbrush and I can do laundry tomorrow. We thought it would be fun to go hang out at the zoo today. Lindsey whooped her excitement as she took Sara's hand and headed for the elevators. They didn't noticed the man sitting in the corner but he was watching them intently. He also saw the guards that followed the little family into the elevator.

Lily leaned towards Catherine in the elevator. "How are things dear? Is Sara really OK?"

"Things are really good Mom. She says she's doing ok and she seems to be getting better every day. I think she'll be fine." She looked over and saw her pick Lindsey up and rested her on her hip as if it were a natural thing to do. She turned back to her Mother with a satisfied smile.

"I think she will too." Lily caught Sara's eye and smiled.


	37. Chapter 37

**Ok folks this is the final chapter. Thank you to all of you who sent reviews, they are what keep me writing. They also make me feel good. Hope you like the ending. Enjoy.**

Chapter 37

Sara was bouncing Lindsey up and down as she sat on her shoulders. Lindsey was loving every minute of it and if Sara was honest with herself she was too. She had never thought of herself as maternal and she was surprised at how fast those feelings developed, but she knew that the little girl on her shoulders had wormed her way into her heart. "Hey little bit do you want to go see the monkeys?"

"Monkeys!" She bounced faster and kicked her feet excitedly. "Let's go see the Monkeys!"

"Sweetie be careful you don't want to accidently kick Sara's face. She doesn't need any new bruises."

Lindsey leaned down from Sara's shoulders until she was almost hanging upside down so she could look Sara in the eyes. "Did I kick your face Sara?"

"You're getting close so let's be careful ok?" She looked up at Lindsey as she spoke.

"Ok Sara I will try to be careful, why don't you hold my legs tighter and if they get close to your face you can pull them away. How does that sound?" Lindsey was still bending over looking into Sara's face and Sara reached up and grabbed her under her arms and pulled her down.

"That sounds like a plan Stan."

"Who's Stan?" Lindsey asked then she giggled when Sara started to tickle her.

"Nobody it just rhymes with plan." She stopped tickling Lindsey and took her hand as they headed towards the primate cages.

"Like see ya later alligator?" Lindsey looked up at Sara.

"Exactly! After while crocodile, slip out the back Jack, hop off the bus Gus, just drop off the key Lee, no need to be coy Roy." Lindsey was giggling by the time Sara finished talking. Catherine watched the interaction between the two of them and was a bit surprised by the way Sara was able to play with Lindsey. She'd seen a little of this playful side over the past week and she was glad that it was extended to Lindsey too. She looked up into Sara's eyes and saw that she was staring at her and her face had gone serious. "Are you ok Cat?"

Catherine smiled to ally her fears and reached over and took her free hand. "I'm just fine, I was just a bit surprised at this playful side of you with Lindsey."

Sara leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "No more than I am. I feel like a kid again, let me rephrase that. I feel like the kid I should have been. Maybe I'm living my childhood vicariously through Lindsey."

"Go ahead, I enjoy seeing this side of you and my little munchkin there is having the time of her life. Right sweetie?"

"If that means having fun then yes I am having the time of my life." She moved to Sara's other side so that she was between Catherine and Sara then reached up to take both of their hands and pulled them both forward. "Now come on, once we get to the monkeys I'll be much happier." She turned around and skipped backwards but still held onto their hands.

"Hey little bit did you know that primares have been around for 66 million years?" Sara asked as she put Lindsey back on her shoulders so she could get a better look at the monkeys in the primate enclosure.

"Is that older than you and Mommy?" She once again leaned down so that she was face to face with Sara.

Catherine sputtered and Sara choked on the sip she had just taken of her soft drink. "Yes sweetie that is older than Sara and I, much older." Catherine made eye contact with Sara and they both started laughing again. Lindsey started kicking and bouncing as they got closer to the enclosure. "Careful sweetie, watch the feet."

"Oops sorry, did I get close again Sara?" She leaned down again.

"You keep leaning down like that and one of these times you're going to go tumbling head over heels." Sara craned her neck back so she could look at Lindsey.

"You won't let that happen." Lindsey said it with utmost certainty and a hint of what Catherine realized was hero worship.

Sara got choked up for a whole new reason. She hoped she could live up to Lindsey's expectations and all of the sudden she felt the weight of it on her shoulders. She looked to Catherine for reassurance and the smile on her face helped a little. "Don't let her scare you. The first time she looked at me that way scared the crap out of me. That was the day she was born. I realized that this little girl was totally dependent on me for everything and the burden almost knocked me down. That's when I think I finally grew up. You get used to it after a while." Catherine went up on her tip toes to kiss Sara and then pulled Lindsey's head down and kissed her too. "I love you munchkin."

"Love you too Mommy. Sara what kind of monkey is that one?" She pointed to the largest ape in the enclosure.

"They're called primates but you can still call them monkeys and that is Brutus, he is a Western Lowland Gorilla. They are the largest of the primate family."

"Are they a family just like us?"

Catherine was watching Sara out of the corner of her eye to see how she was going to react. "Yes sweetie, just like us."

"Do they have two Mommies like me or two daddies like Jonathan and Mike's puppy?"

Sara was too stunned to answer and it shocked her at how good hearing Lindsey refer to her as her mother felt. It made her realize how much she really did want to be her mother. She looked at Catherine and saw tears in her eyes. Her first reaction was fear that Catherine finally realized she didn't like Lindsey thinking of her as her mom and that was why she was crying. Then Catherine smiled the most beautiful smile she had ever seen and she was able to relax. "They could have two Mommies like you do but they probably have a Mommy and a Daddy."

"See those two over in the corner?" Sara pointed to the mother and baby in the corner.

"Is that the Mommy?"

"Yes, the baby was born a month ago and her name is Sandy. The Mom's name is Poppy. And they spend most of their day in the corner. Poppy holds her against her stomach until the baby id strong enough to walk on her own. Sandy's not quite ready to run around on her own yet but they do take walks around the enclosure a couple of times a day. Mom is teaching her what she needs to know to survive on her own. Just like your Mom is doing for you."

"Gee you know a lot Sara. You're real smart."

As Lindsey was talking Sara watched as a man began to approach them and she smiled at him. She reached up and lifted Lindsey off of her shoulders and handed her to Catherine. He looked to be in his early 40's and was a bear of a man. When he was about 3 feet away he stopped and inspected her from head to toe. "Damn girl you look like shit."

"Watch your language Artie there's a child present." She pointed over her shoulder towards Catherine and Lindsey.

"So is this the reason you haven't been by lately?" He gestured toward her body. "Or is that?" He gestured toward Lindsey and Catherine then opened his arms and Sara launched herself into his bear hug.

Catherine stood back and watched this exchange in total confusion. Who was this man and why was he hugging Sara? Sara turned around to Catherine and reached for her hand. "Catherine this is Professor Artimis Alexander, he is the local primate expert. Artie this is Catherine and the little bit at her side is her daughter Lindsey." Lindsey hid behind Catherine and Catherine didn't blame her, he had to be one of the biggest men she had ever met. If it weren't for his smile she would be afraid of him. Sara knelt down so she was at Lindsey's level. She whispered into Lindsey's ear. "He's more afraid of you than you are of him." She reached out and picked her up and slowly walked back towards Artie. "He's the guy who takes care of all of these animals little bit."

Artie smiled as he watched his friend with the most adorable child he had even seen. Then he looked to her mother and knew where she got the good looks and also new she was going to be as much of a looker as her mother was now. "Is this 'the' Catherine?" He laughed as Sara blushed. "Oh, Sara if I had a couple of fine women that looked like that by my side then I would not be spending time with dirty old primates and their gay keeper either." He reached out and tickled Lindsey.

"I'm not a woman I'm a little girl. Can I visit them up close?" Lindsey said between giggles.

"Yes you are a little girl but have you been a good girl? If you've been a good girl I might be able to get you a little closer to the monkeys."

"They aren't monkeys they're primates. That's what Sara says they are." She turned to Sara with a big smile.

"And as usual Sara is right. It seems my best student is doing as all good students should do and is passing along what she learns. Although sometimes I wonder who is teaching who with this one here."

"Sara you didn't say you were back in school." Catherine turned to her with a slightly hurt look on her face.

"Oh beautiful Catherine you misunderstand. I work here at the zoo every day and for many days I see this beautiful woman sitting and watching the monkeys for hours on end so one day I decide to see what she is doing. I walk over and sit down next to her on that bench over there." He pointed to the bench behind them. "And what do you think she is doing? She is drawing these wonderful pictures of my monkeys. Ask her to show them to you, they are exceptional. Soon we were talking about the monkeys and after a few more visits we became good friends." He turned to Sara and became serious. "I was getting a little worried about the fact that you haven't been around these past few weeks and it appears from the looks of you I was right to worry. What the hell…I mean heck happened to you." He reached up and tenderly stroked her cheek. "Did you land any punches at all?"

"It's all her fault." Sara said as she pointed to Catherine with a smile. "We'll tell you all about it when there aren't little ears around ok?"

"Are you talking about the monkey's ears? They sure are small on the baby aren't they? Mister can we get any closer I sure would like to see them up close?" Lindsey turned her smile on Artie and he knew he was lost. "Pleeeease?"

"Look Catherine she already has him wrapped around her little finger in all of 5 minutes." Sara reached back for Catherine's hand again and pulled her into a hug. "Just like her Mother has me wrapped around hers." She kissed Catherine on the temple.

Catherine looked up at her and smiled. "Oh like my daughter doesn't have you wrapped around hers too." Catherine then turned to Artimis. "So how long have you and Sara known each other?"

"Well she started showing up about 9 months ago and we've been friends for most of that time."

"Are you really a Professor?" She was warming to this jovial giant of a man.

He roared back with a laugh that came from his belly. "Oh yes I am, Oxford as a matter of fact. Came to the states and taught on the east coast for many years before I came here to Las Vegas to save the poor lost souls through academia and became one myself. I gave up teaching at the college and came here much like Sara did and found a home. I love taking care of the monkeys and they give back more than I ever thought they would." As he was talking he was slowly leading them behind the primate enclosure into a back room. "Sara do you want to do the honors?"

"Sure Artie." She reached for the pail then opened the door to the enclosure.

"Sara, where are you going? Artie you can't let her go in there alone!" Catherine was frantic.

Sara shut the door and walked back to Catherine and took her face in her hands. "Watch through that window there." She pointed to the window that looked out into the enclosure. "It's amazing, just watch, its ok. I've done it numerous times. Artie wouldn't let me go out there if it wasn't safe. And if anything happens he's right here to help me." She kissed her soundly and headed back for the door and opened it then walked in to the enclosure. "Hey Poppy, its Sara how are you and Sandy doing today?" She slowly walked over in front of the two of them then sat down so she could see both of them but still keep an eye on the rest of the monkeys. Catherine watched in fascination as Sara fearlessly sat down next to the gorilla that was easily twice her size and weight. The three of them were able to hear everything she was saying and Lindsey's eyes were as big as saucers as she watched Sara interact with the mother gorilla. "So Poppy have you missed me? Sorry I haven't been by to see the two of you but something came up. I have some friends behind the door that would like to get to know Sandy can I take her to visit them?" Poppy scooted over next to Sara, Catherine gasped when she saw Poppy put her free arm around Sara and pull her closer to her.

She didn't even realize that she was holding her breath until Artie moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Watch, she has a way with them. She was actually the first human that Poppy would let touch Sandy. We were trying to get her to let us take Sandy to give her a check up and she would not release her to anyone. Before she was born Sara would spend long hours before the zoo would open in the morning just sitting with her in her birthing room. She was there when Sandy was born. The vet had her leave when it was time to remove Sandy because the mother's usually get upset the first time and she didn't want Sara to get hurt. Poppy still would not let the baby go. Sara entered the birthing room and sat down with Poppy and after about 5 minutes Poppy actually handed Sandy to her without Sara even having to ask her. Sara just sat there holding the newborn baby and when she started crying Poppy actually consoled her. When Sara stood up with the baby Poppy let her leave without making a noise. Just watch. She's amazing." Catherine never took her eyes off of Sara and actually laughed when she realized that Poppy was grooming Sara as she would another monkey and Sara just sat there. The next thing that happened surprised her even more, Sara sat up on her haunches and started picking through Poppy's hair as Poppy had just done to her. "This is how she gains her trust. She treats her as an equal as she has from the very beginning and Poppy knows that."

Sara sat back down and handed Poppy one of the apples from the bucket then moved her fingers and Catherine realized she was speaking in sign language. "What else don't I know about her? I had no idea." Artie realized she was talking to herself and kept quiet. Catherine watched as Sara continued to talk to Poppy.

"She sat with me while I was teaching sign language to Poppy and she learned along with her. She usually establishes the rapport verbally then switches to sign language. It shouldn't be long now." Sure enough not 10 minutes later Poppy placed Sandy in Sara's lap and Sara held the baby to her chest. She signed something and then Catherine watched as Poppy stood up and walked away leaving Sara alone with Sandy. Sara slowly stood up and turned towards the door and looked up and made eye contact with Catherine and her face broke out with a beautiful smile. Catherine wondered how this woman could think she would never be good with Lindsey. Artie turned around to Lindsey before Sara opened the door. "Hey Lindsey, you have to be very quiet and still so you don't scare the baby ok?" Lindsey nodded as she watched Sara walk through the door.

Sara sat down on the floor and motioned for Lindsey to walk over to her. Lindsey tiptoed over to her and Sara pulled her down on to her lap across from Sandy. Lindsey tentatively reached out to touch Sandy. "She's so soft." She whispered up at Sara.

"Put your finger in her mouth just a little bit." Sara reached for her finger and put it in Sandy's mouth and waited for Lindsey's response. She wasn't disappointed when she made eye contact with the little girl.

"She's sucking my finger. Mommy she's sucking my finger. Does that mean she's hungry? Can I feed her?" Artie came forward with a bottle and handed it to Sara. Sara took the bottle and handed it to Lindsey and watched as she removed her finger and put the bottle in Sandy's mouth. Sara knew what would happen so she put her hand over Lindsey's and made sure the bottle didn't drop once the baby grabbed on. Lindsey giggled when the bottle was almost ripped out of her hand at the force with which Sandy was sucking on the bottle. "She must really be hungry. Mommy was I ever this bad?"

"Oh sweetie you were worse." Catherine looked down at her two favorite ladies and knew she would never forget what Sara had done for her daughter. She also knew that Lindsey would never forget it either. She felt tears come to her eyes at the look of pure awe on Lindsey's face as she fed the small monkey. Sara carefully moved the monkey from her lap to Lindsey's and if it was possible Lindsey looked even more excited but she still held it in check so she didn't scare Sandy.

"Hey Artie can you take over for me for a minute?" She stood up and whispered something to Artie and he hesitated for a minute then nodded his head. Sara walked over to Catherine and once again took her face between her hands. "Do you trust me?" Catherine could only nod. "Can you be patient and sit as still as I did out there?" Catherine nodded again. Sara took her hand and led her out to the same spot in the enclosure and they sat down. "Just wait for them to come to you."

"Them?" Catherine looked to her with fear in her eyes.

Sara laughed quietly. "I don't know which ones if any will come by to say hi. I'm sure Poppy will come by to visit. Gorillas don't normally attack humans unless provoked. They are mostly all bark and no bite. They are normally non-aggressive animals."

"Normally?" Catherine asked with less fear this time. "So we just sit here?" She was starting to relax as she watched the interaction between the monkeys. "This is amazing Sara, thank you. You are a constant surprise." She leaned over and kissed Sara but pulled away when she heard some grunting behind her.

Sara started laughing when she saw Poppy come up behind Catherine. "Just sit still now and let her check you out. Don't tense up she'll sense it and think you're scared."

"I am scared."

"Trust me Catherine she will not hurt you." Sara had to laugh as Poppy sniffed Catherine's hair then started to pick through it.

Catherine whispered to Sara. "Why do you get to laugh and I have to hold still?" Catherine was beginning to realize what was happening and it finally dawned on her that she was sitting with a gorilla. She looked over to Sara and saw the smile on her face and knew she was in no danger. She decided to sit back and enjoy the experience.

"I get to laugh because Poppy already knows me now she's getting to know you. You'll know when you are accepted." Sara looked around and saw that a few of the others were getting curious and they started inching closer. "This one here is Benjy, he's one of my favorites. Hey there Benjy how ya doing today?" He came over and sat next to Sara and took her hand and placed it over his heart. "I've missed you too little buddy." She said as she repeated the gesture by taking his hand and covering her heart with it. "I brought a friend, her name is Catherine." She turned to Catherine. "Most of the sign language is the same sign language you would learn if you were deaf or talking to someone who is deaf but there are some signs that are uniquely used with these guys."

"You are a constant surprise Sara Sidle. What else don't I know about you?"

"I guess you'll just have to keep me around so you can find out huh?" Sara watched as Poppy inched closer to Catherine and she was waiting for the moment. She didn't have to wait long. Catherine gasped as Poppy wrapped Catherine in a big hug and rubbed her chin on the top of Catherine's head. Sara started laughing so hard she fell over on to her side and she laughed even harder when Benjy imitated her and rolled on his side howling. "Put your arms around her too." Catherine put her arms around the big gorilla and hugged her. She looked around and realized the other monkeys were coming closer and took her cue from Sara and did what she did. "This is how I learned from Artie. I would sit here for hours after work and let the monkeys get to know me."

"So is this why you never wanted to go out to breakfast with us?"

"That was only part of it. The main reason was I couldn't sit there with you and pretend I was having fun watching Warrick flirt with you. But these guys made me feel needed." She held up her hand when Catherine started to say something. "It's ok I know now how things really were. Be ready Zeus is on the way over. He's just a big kid." Sara stood up as a fairly large gorilla approached them. "Zeus my man how are you?" Catherine was surprised when he held up his hand and Sara gave him a high five then laughed even harder when Sara lowered her hand and he gave her a low five. But the funniest part of all was when he held his hand up again but moved it away quickly when Sara tried to give him a high five then let out an almost human laugh. "Still faster than ever huh Zeus?" He pulled Sara into a big hug and actually lifted her feet off the ground. "Cat you ready to head back in? Poppy needs her baby back."

"How can you tell?" Catherine looked over to see Poppy starting to almost frisk Sara. "Is she patting you down looking for her baby? Oh that's so cute. Let's go. Do I need to move slowly again?"

"Maybe the first time, next time we can run around with them and play. We'll have to leave Lindsey home because I don't want her in here and have one of these guys mistake her for a baby then become possessive." Sara took Catherine's hand and they headed for the door. She stopped at the door and turned back to the enclosure. She signed 'Good bye' to all of them then turned around and opened the door for Catherine. "Hey little bit Poppy wants her baby back can I have him?" She reached down and gently lifted the sleeping monkey out of Lindsey's lap. Lindsey's lower lips started to tremble and Sara knelt back down next to her. "Oh baby don't cry, we'll come back all the time and we can watch this little one grow up ok?"

"Can I hold her again like I did today?" Sara looked to Artie and he nodded.

"As long as she will let you. In another couple of weeks she'll start walking and then running and then she becomes more independent so it might be harder to get her to sit still but we'll come back often while she's still a baby so she can get to know you."

Sara walked back into the enclosure and returned Sandy to her anxious mother. When she walked back into the room she was almost knocked over by an over exuberant Lindsey she reached down and picked her up and rested her on her hip. "Thank you so much Sara! I want to grow up and take care of monkeys just like Artie does. I want you to teach me how to talk to them with my fingers like you did. Do I just wiggle them like this and they will understand me?" She wiggled her tiny fingers in front of Sara's face.

"I will teach you how to talk to them starting right now. Hold up your hand and spread your fingers like this." Sara held her hand up with her fingers spread wide. Lindsey did the same thing and Sara reached up and curled the middle two fingers down then held hers up to mirror Lindsey's. Catherine felt a tear roll down her cheek at what Sara was signing to her daughter.

"What does that mean Sara?" Lindsey looked at her fingers then back at Sara.

Sara had to clear her throat before she could answer. "It means I love you little bit."

Lindsey threw her arms around Sara's neck. "Now you have to be my Mommy because I love you too."

Sara looked over Lindsey's back at Catherine then at Artie. "Artimis Alexander don't you dare cry on me or I will start crying too."

"How can I not cry? The last hour has been one of the best hours I have spent here at this zoo. Watching Poppy have her baby was touching but nothing compared to what I've witnessed with the three of you. If you weren't a family when you came here today you are definitely going home a family."

Sara whispered something to Lindsey and they both giggled as they walked towards the big man. Sara handed Lindsey to Artie and the two of them enveloped him in a bug hug. Lindsey held up her little hand then reached up and folded down the two middle fingers then held them up in front of Artie's face. Then she kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry Artie we'll be back to visit lots and lots ok?"

"Oh my god you are going to be a little heartbreaker. Take her home Sara before I kidnap her and take her home myself." He handed Lindsey back to Sara then turned to Catherine. "Please come back any time, I will always be somewhere near this enclosure. You don't have to bring the big one with you but you better bring little miss thing with you so we can visit. The big miss thing knows she is always welcome here but now you know you two are welcome here too."

Catherine walked over and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Artie, thank you for giving my daughter a day she will never forget. I know that I will always remember what I felt today. Can you come to our house for dinner one night soon?"

"It would be my pleasure. Now take your family and head on home. I think your little one will be asleep soon after you leave here."

"How much do you want to bet she doesn't even make it to the car?"

"Don't take that bet you'd lose, I don't think she'll make it out the front gate." Catherine looked over to see that Lindsey's head was already lying on Sara's shoulder.

Catherine walked over to Sara. "Why don't you let me carry her, you have to be hurting and she gets heavier after she falls asleep."

"That's ok babe I've got her. See ya Artie. I may not be by as often but you won't be able to keep us away after today."

"Can you at least keep yourself out of trouble and stay safe? If you can do that and I know you have sweet Catherine and lovely Lindsey taking care of you at home then I will rest easy and not worry about you."

"Oh she will be well taken care of I can assure you." She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed as Artie actually blushed. "You are too much Artimis. We'll call you to make a date for dinner ok? Let's go Sara." Catherine watched as Sara gently placed Lindsey in the car seat and buckled her in. "I'll drive, you rest."

"You'll get no arguments from me." Sara sat in the passenger seat and leaned her head back. "Did you have a good time today? Maybe we'll go back when we can see more of the zoo."

"I had the best time ever. And I don't think you will be able to get Lindsey past the monkeys from here on out. I have never seen my daughter happier in her life. Thank you for that."

"It was my pleasure Catherine, I wanted to share something special with you and Lindsey."

"Oh it was very special and that little girl back there will never forget what you did for her today." Catherine pulled into the driveway and hurried around to the back of the car so she could get Lindsey before Sara had the chance. "I'll put her to bed then we can sit on the couch and snuggle."

"Oh that does sound good to me." Sara followed Catherine upstairs and watched her lay Lindsey down and get her ready for bed. She felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over her. This is what it should be like every night. This felt so right. She turned around and headed back downstairs. Catherine came downstairs and found Sara looking in the refrigerator. "Hey Cat we're out of milk so I'm just going to run around the corner and pick some up. I'll be right back ok?"

"Why don't you let it wait until morning then you can go?"

"Lindsey will want her cereal in the morning so let me pop out and get it now."

Catherine walked over and gave Sara a kiss. "And you thought you wouldn't be good at this parenting thing. You're great with her and I think she'll be good for you too."

"I think so too. I'll be right back. I love you Catherine."

"I love you too Sara. Hurry back and I just might show you just how much I love you." Catherine wiggled her eyebrows and winked as Sara headed out the door at a run.

Five minutes after Sara left Catherine heard Sara's phone ringing and found it sitting on the coffee table. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Jim Brass so she answered it. "Hey Jim what's up?" Her smile immediately disappeared at his tone of voice.

"Catherine where's Sara?"

"She ran around the corner to the store to pick up some milk why? What's wrong?"

"Trainor and another inmate escaped about two hours ago and no one knows where he is."

"How the hell did that happen?" As she was speaking she headed for her closet and took out her gun and chambered a round and was heading out the door.

"They both appeared to be sick so they took them in an ambulance to Desert Palms and on the way they were able to overpower the guard and driver and they took off in the ambulance."

"I've got to go Jim." She hung up the phone without waiting for his response and took off at a full out run. She rounded the corner in time to see the ambulance pull up beside Sara. "Sara! Run! Get away from the ambulance now, it's Trainor!" Catherine stood directly in front of the ambulance and took aim at the driver and pulled the trigger. She watched as Trainor grabbed Sara and pulled her into the back of the ambulance. She ran around the back and aimed the gun at Tim Trainor. "Let her go. This time you are not going to get off as easy as the last time. This time I you're a dead man." She looked at Sara's still form on the gurney. "What did you do to her?"

He held up a needle. "Just a little injection of morphine. Well maybe not a little, actually it was quite a lot so I hope she doesn't overdose."

Catherine didn't hesitate when she pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet hit him square between the eyes and he fell over backwards. She climbed up into the ambulance and knelt beside the gurney. "Sara come on baby wake up." Catherine heard the sirens but refused to move away from Sara. "Sara, it's over and he'll never bother you again." Catherine looked up as Brass ran to the back of the ambulance and took in the scene.

He took out his radio. "Officer down. I need an ambulance at the corner of Anisette and Cabana." He put the radio in his pocket then climbed into the ambulance with Catherine. "Is she ok?"

"He said he gave her morphine, a lot of morphine, she may be overdosing. What do we do Jim?"

"We wait for the ambulance and let them do their jobs." He looked at Trainor's body then through the opening to the driver in the front seat. "Looks like you've been busy."

Catherine looked down and saw that Sara was starting to wake up and let out a sigh of relief. She then looked at Trainor and the driver. "I guess you could say that."

"Cat where's Lindsey?" Sara whispered from the gurney.

"Ok shit she's at the house sleeping!"

"Did you at least lock the door?" Sara was starting to recover and she sat up. She looked to the floor and saw Trainor's body. "Guess you took care of him didn't you?"

"Yeah I did. But I think we're locked out of the house because in my hurry to get to you I left my keys on the coffee table."

Sara reached up and took Catherine's hand. "That's ok babe I have my set. Let's go home." Just as she said it the ambulance pulled up behind them.

"First let's make sure you're ok."

"I'm fine Cat." She tried to stand up but fell back onto the gurney. "What the hell did he hit me with?"

"He said he injected you with morphine. How do you feel?"

"Woozy but other than that I think I'm ok. I feel kind of like I did at the hospital. Let's get out of this ambulance so they can process it."

"Let me help you up ok?"

Brass helped Catherine get Sara to the other ambulance then called for the coroner. "Catherine you know I'm going to have to take your gun while we investigate. Sure looks like a righteous shoot to me. They tried to run you over with the ambulance so you shot the driver then Trainor came after you with the syringe after he already injected Sara. Both shots were in self defense. Is that how it went down?"

"Sure that sounds about right. I'll come by in the morning and submit my report ok?"

"That works for me, go take care of your girlfriend then get home to your daughter."

"Thanks Jim and thank you for calling to warn Sara. You saved her life."

"No you saved her life I just gave you the heads up."

"Well either way she's going to be ok and Trainor will no longer be lurking in the back of our minds. See you in the morning." She stepped up into the other ambulance where they were checking Sara's vital signs. "Is she going to be ok?"

"It looks like she's going to be fine. It doesn't look like she was overdosed so in a few hours she will be fine."

"Thank god, can I take her home?"

"Sure, just keep an eye on her for the rest of the night while the morphine works its way out of her system."

"Oh we've dealt with this before so I think we'll do fine. Sara are you ready to go home?"

"Yes Catherine, take me home."

**THE END!**


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